2018 Stash Report Card

After an extended summer hiatus, I decided to take a break from Christmas knitting and write an update for the blog.  My New Year's resolution for 2018 was to use 2 skeins from stash for every new skein acquired.  I rationalized that if purchased and used right away, then it didn't count as it was stash neutral.  Makes sense, right?

The first half of the year, I was fairly true to my resolution.  During that period, I had completed several projects, all from stash.  The list includes:

• Three sweaters:  Japan Sleeves, St. Brigit, and After the Rain
• Five Shawls:  Stormy Sky, Frozen Skies, Shila, Emy, and Quicksilver
• Five Cowls:  Sailor's Rib x 4 (though I did acquire 1 skein, the other 3 were from stash), and Concentra
• One Hat: Wayworm Cap.

Seems like I started the year off with a bang, right?

The neutral period follows . . .

Of the four summer tops I completed, two of them I love and wore all summer long. The Desert Sands Lace top had been in my queue for a few years, and when completed, it did not fit.  Fortunately, it fits Vivian and looks great on her.  The fourth is still a work in progress as it is being constructed from 3 different colours acquired from a clearance bin. Now I'm struggling to finish the shirt tail section since there is not enough of any single colour to complete it.

Two Sea Grass shawls, which I absolutely love, were made from yarns newly acquired and consumed right away. One linen sweater, Pipit, was the result of trading four skeins from stash for two linen skeins, then acquired two more to complete the sweater.  Net effect -- stash neutral.

Additions to stash . . . 

It would seem that I have been doing very well this year in meeting my resolution.  So why do I feel like I have failed miserably?  Maybe it has something to do with all the yarn that I cannot find a home for in my stash.  What went wrong, or right, depending on your perspective.

• Trunk sales at my local LYS
• Trips to Romni for special events or sales
• Yarn Festivals (Frolic, Picton, Fenelon Falls, Kitchener, Woodstock)
• Road Trips (have to visit an out of town shop when I have the opportunity)
• Closing Sales (sad to see any shop close)
• Clearance Bins (who can resist?), and two other significant factors.

1. Luck - I have been very fortunate this past year in winning several raffle and door prizes, and friends gifting destash items my way -- all really good stuff!
2. Working Yarn Festivals - I was very targeted in my shopping at all the yarn festivals this year.  In fact, I heeded my own advice from the Yarn Festivals Post.  One factor contributing to my curbed enthusiasm was to work at three of the shows instead of going as a shopper (not that it stopped shopping, just made it very targeted).  So how did this add to stash, you ask?  Because I was paid in yarn!  Whoo-hoo!  Acquisition without guilt!  Who could ask for anything better?

I have acquired some lovely yarns, but since I am having trouble finding a place for them, and am too busy with Christmas knitting to start projects, I am experiencing guilt.

My Christmas and Charitable knitting this year consumed stash for the most part; a little bit on the neutral side.  I feel really good about that.  I also donated a green garbage bag full of stash yarn that would never be used, to a charitable drive held by the knitting guild.  Perhaps I have used at least as much as I brought into the flock this year.  So maybe I just need to reorganize the yarn room and then I won’t feel like I went off the resolution path.

I decided I would collect up as much of the completed projects as were readily available -- some had been put away for the winter and some already gifted or donated.

Used vs. Stashed
	Looks like I had a very productive year! Now to gather up all the acquisitions that need a home in the stash room.
	Oh-oh. This doesn't look so good. Let's try this again without any fingering or sock yarn. As any avowed yarn-a-holic will tell you, sock yarn doesn't count!
	Now I feel better. Given that, I officially declare this year Stash Neutral -- and vow to do better next year!

My New Year's resolution for 2019 -- Get those items that have been deemed "in the queue" on the needles, and produce results!

 

A Needling Question

Knitting needles come in all shapes, sizes, and materials.  There are straight ones, circular ones, flexible ones, double pointed ones.  They come in metal, wood, bamboo, acrylic, plastic, etc.  There are long ones, short ones, and various lengths in between.  So, which needle is the best?  The answer is ….. it depends.

It depends upon your personal preference, your knitting style, and the yarn that you are using for any given project.

To discuss all of the various types of knitting needles would be too voluminous; a novel really.  Since there is not likely to be a Pulitzer nomination forthcoming for blogging about knitting needles, this will be a high level look at using different needles for various situations.  Besides, if it was a really long story, you wouldn’t read it.

I learned to knit on my mother’s straight steel needles as a child.  That is probably why I prefer using metal needles.  I have tried bamboo and birch, but truthfully, not a fan.  Although I have long since switched to using circulars most of the time, I will still revert to mom’s old needles when appropriate.  I like the coolness of metal, and the ease in which the yarn slides along the needle.  By contrast, my friend Linda prefers the warmth of the birch needles.  Quite frankly, given the speed in which she knits, I’m surprised she hasn’t started a fire with those wooden sticks.

I tend to knit tightly, but generally achieve gauge with the recommended needle size for the yarn and/or project.  This may be due to the fact that the yarn tends to be more slippery on metal needles.  My friend Vivian decided to pick up knitting again, having not done so since childhood.  She is a continental knitter, and found my metal needles too slippery for her knitting style, so she went the birch route to help her with gauge.  Now that she has been actively knitting for several years, she finds that metal needles are working better for her. 

  

Regular Addi vs. Lace Point

The type of yarn also plays a factor in determining which needle is best for the project.  For example, I was knitting a stole with mulberry silk lace and found it to be very slippery on my regular metal needles.  Stitches were frequently dropping off the needles, and since it was a lace pattern, I was constantly picking up and correcting stitches.  Not a lot of fun.  So I purchased a set of lace points that are more pointed than the regular, and have a coating to keep the yarn from sliding quite so much.  I found them to be much more efficient for the task at hand. 

Another factor may be how tightly the plies are twisted in the yarn.  My friend Jane and I were both working on projects with yarn that contained cotton and in both cases, the yarn was loosely twisted.  The plies were easily separated, and I found that a more rounded point was better for keeping the plies together on each stitch.  Jane found the opposite was true for her. 

A couple of years ago, I was in a conversation with Joan prior to our monthly Guild meeting.  We were both making the Karner Wrap with a lace weight yarn from Americo Originals.  Joan was extremely frustrated with her project as she kept losing stitches due to the stitches sticking together on the needle and accidently knitting them together.  I had started the project with my regular rounded point Addi’s and soon switched to the lace point version when I also became frustrated with the stitches sticking together.  The sharper points easily separated the strands and eliminated the problem.  When I suggested this to Joan, she was not prepared to spend more money on another set of the same sized needles.  I have long since completed the project, but the last time I checked with Joan, she had put hers aside due to frustration.

 

There are two basic rules when it comes to choosing knitting needles:

Rule #1 – There are no rules.  It is personal preference.  Metal is not better than wood, nor vise versa.  Choose the needle that you like to use, and not necessarily the one that your friend likes to use. We all knit differently.

Rule #2 – If you are struggling with the project, then perhaps a different type of needle is required.  If you knit so tightly on wooden needles that you are fighting with each stitch, then try using metal to loosen up.  Or switch to birch if you knit very loosely.  Knitting is both stimulating and relaxing at the same time, and should be enjoyable.  If you are struggling with a particular yarn and getting frustrated, it’s time to try a different needle.  Finding the right tool for the job can change everything about it.  

I have a rather large knitting needle stash, but will still purchase other needles when the situation warrants it, or I just prefer something new – like ChiaoGoo red cables.  Ooh-la-la!  

The Needle Stash minus those in projects with a portrait of my grandmother, the woman who could literally knit in her sleep.

Needles are expensive, but so is your time and peace of mind.  You’ve heard of yarn tasting, right?  Wouldn’t it be great to attend a needle tasting where one could try different types of needles with various types of yarn?  That way, you would have an introduction as to which type of needle works best with each yarn for your knitting style.  Hmm, could be on to something here.

Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter in the novel on Knitting Needles where we will discuss a comparison between straight, including double pointed, and circular needles!

Measure Once, Knit Twice

Has this happened to you?  The front and back of a sweater, or the two sleeves are different lengths? Or, proud to have finally completed that pair of socks only to discover that one is longer than the other.  Sure it has, come on, admit it.

It has happened to all of us at one time or another.  Why? Probably because we measured once, and now we get to knit twice.  Otherwise, find someone that has one arm longer than the other and give the sweater to them. 

We need to measure many things in knitting, not just the length.  For example, we measure our bodies, the size of our needles, and the gauge of our knitted fabric.  Notice I said “knitted fabric” instead of swatch.  I must admit, sometimes I am so excited to start a new project that I start knitting, then do the gauge measurement.   When it’s off, I cuss a little, rip it out, change my needle size, and swatch like I should have done in the first place.  Perfect example of measure once, knit twice.

Recently, I discovered yet another metal gauge ruler in my many tool bins, and thought to myself, “I wonder how many I have”?  So I collected my knitting measuring devices together and realized that I have a bit of a tool stash. 

Interesting point about the 4mm needle sizing, gauges typically say either 4mm or 4 1/4mm, but the white plastic one that I have, has both sizes.  The purple KnitPicks ruler has a magnifier, which is very helpful when trying to count stitches for gauge, while the Susan Bates metal ruler has a 2”x2” gauge cut out. 

With all these rulers at my disposal, I tend to carry one of the metal 6” gauge rulers, and my 36” Four-Fold Rule in my knitting bag.  That is the politically correct term for what used to be called a Blindman’s Rule; named for the large numbers which make is easier to read.  I must say, I do like the large numbers.  It also requires that you have your work on a flat surface to measure; always a good practice.  I only use the measuring tape when measuring body parts or around corners.  I highly recommend getting a buddy to do the body measurement; it’s a lot more accurate than you can do on yourself.  You can do the corner by yourself, sometimes.    

 

When the work is longer than 36”, like an afghan or warping the Knitters Loom, I pull out the big gun.  Yup, the 16’ retractable measuring tape.

I was recently introduced to another tool for measuring gauge … The Swatch Ruler.  It sticks to the fabric so you can easily count your stitches and rows.  If it only had a magnifier, I would be all over it and add it to the collection.

One perplexing measurement that I find when knitting, is the button band.  Patterns often state, “knit until slightly stretched, measures the front”.  I have yet to figure out how much stretch is considered slightly.  This, I do not measure.  Instead, I count rows.  Better yet, knit the band with the front pieces.  That way, there is no guessing or counting.  I also count rows for my socks, sleeves, fronts to backs, etc.  Whenever two pieces are supposed to be the same length, I count rows.  That sounds a bit anal retentive, but it works.  Now, if I could only remember to write down the count from the first item before starting the second.  That way, when my husband starts talking about the temperature or expected snowfall, I will have a reference point and not have to start over.

The term “Measure Twice, Cut Once” is generally associated with the carpentry trade, but in a figurative sense, it also applies to knitting. An excerpt from the Historically Speaking website states that the term can also be meant as a warning to plan and prepare for something in a careful, thorough manner before taking action.  So let’s make this our knitting mantra, Measure Twice, Knit Once!

If you diligently measure twice and still find that one sleeve is longer than the other, then you have no one else to blame.  It must have been the wine.