for a while now, i wanted to write about having a yarn stash. i don't know about you guys but i had (until quite recently) a HUGE yarn stash. i collected so much yarn over the years. it came from everywhere, from sales, from the fleamarket, donated by other knitters and family, from webshops (because ordering just that one skein is so silly!),...

my big yarn stash has been bothering me for a while now, i already wrote about it in this post about my "crafty resolutions" in january 2014. i was actually doing really good at following my own rules, this year i bought almost no new yarn and what i bought is already processed and in use.

 some time ago, when i was home alone one evening, i started knitting a scarf with some stash yarn and it seemed like i couldn't make anything nice out of it. a case of wrong project, wrong yarn. i showed it to my boyfriend and he simply said "why don't you stop wasting your time and just make some pretty things instead?"

that one sentence got me thinking, because it's so true. i was spending so much time trying to make something nice out of yarn that i didn't really love, just to get it out of my stash and so that i would feel less guilty when i did buy some new yarn. i also learned that no matter how nice the pattern, if you don't like the colour or the yarn anymore, there is no feeling of accomplishment and pride when finishing your project.

so... one evening, we got all of my boxes out of the basement and laid everything on our coffee table. (and next to it and on the couch because it couldn't possibly all fit on the coffee table.) we made 3 piles: "keep", "donate" and "sell".

i kept the really nice or expensive yarns, and all the yarns that i really loved. i donated most of my acrylics to charity (my acrylic-days are over!), and sold the rest online. i was worried that i would never get rid of it all, but only one day later there was a nice lady who wanted it all. woo-hoo! and now my stash fits in one basket. i repeat, ONE basket.

 

left: box of sold yarn. right: my new stash!
 

i never thought destashing would feel as liberating as it did. going trough my stash now is about discovering real treasures of yarn and being excited about making something with it.

i'm now planning on doing the same with my fabric stash and also with my clothes.
and, ultimately, with all of our belongings. because why do we need so much stuff?

 now i'm really curious about your thoughts on having a stash.
does having a stash work for you? does it scare you to destash?



you can find some inspiring reads about destashing here:
Fringe Association: Q for you (read the comment section)
No stash girl

the last pair of socks i finished were these Simple Trekking socks knit with (hah, surprise) Trekking XXL yarn. this yarn was lying in my stash for quite a while, and i thought it was about time i used it!

i chose the Simple Trekking socks pattern because i wanted something that was simple enough to show off the yarn, easy enough for some mindless knitting and interesting enough to not get really, really bored. ;)

 the pattern is quite straight-forward but features a broken rib detail on the toes and on the cuff. it also has a reinforced heel, which definitely feels quite durable and sturdy and is fun to knit also!

 i must say, i was happy and relieved to finish these, because i'm not too crazy about them! for a while i was thinking about starting again with a different pattern, but then i realised my biggest problem with these is mainly because of the yarn. the colours are quite masculine and not very cheerful.. i'm glad i pushed trough, because they fit great, they  really are super comfy! (hurray for ribbed socks)

so nevertheless, another warm and comfy pair was added to my sock drawer! 

♥

(my apologies for the not-so-great photos, but the weather wasn't that great when i took them... )

hi there!

those who follow me on instagram might have noticed i've recently become an auntie for the very first time! my brother and his girlfriend had a beautiful baby girl called Olivia two weeks ago! we were all so excited since the day we knew they were expecting! so, ofcourse, i had to make some stuff for the baby! :)

the first thing i want to share is the one i'm most excited about: i made a soft, light baby blanket in 100% merino wool.  

 

why a blanket? i personally think (though i never had a baby) they are very useful: they can be used for keeping warm, in the car or in the crib, maybe even as a play mat or for lying on. or maybe just as home decor if you don't use it in any other way. ;) it seems like a sensible, useful gift that lasts long and that they don't outgrow too fast. 

 

i knew i wanted something in 2 colours (although i also love multi-coloured crochet blankets) and i decided on blue and yellow. the yarn is Woolly by DMC creative, which is 100% merino wool. (and, if we can believe the website, "sourced from Australia and 100% natural and renewable) i thought it was important to choose a yarn that was made of wool because wool gives a lot of warmth and tends to be better for sensitive baby skin. this yarn was also really really soft and gives a very nice drape when knit up. definitely a winner for baby stuff!

 for the pattern i was heavily inspired by this blanket by Lisa Kinoo. i made some swatches and decided on double moss stitch. i made some calculations and cast on a huge number of stitches and just started knitting away! after i knit a big rectangle (i aimed for a size of 140x80cm but it turned out somewhat smaller), i finished with some single crochet rows and finally a scalloped edge. (pattern found in some old thrifted crochet book.)

 i also finally learned how to hold my yarn "the right way". i knit english style and i used to "throw" my yarn, but without holding it over my index finger. knitting this amount of purl and knit stitches was very hard on my wrist, so i went to my mom for advice. she showed me how to hold my yarn this way, which is much better for my wrists!

and finally, some details:

- i started knitting in september and finished in january.

it was my on-the-train-knit until it started getting too big to carry along everyday.

- i used 9 balls of yarn (8 yellow, 1 blue. i loved working with this yarn!)

-  and some things i learned in the process:
1. i will never EVER again start a new ball of yarn in the middle of a row.

2. i should keep better notes about the amount of stitches i cast on.

3. blocking really made this blankie look 4572x times better than when it just came off the needles. :)

earlier this month, we went on a camping trip to France. (at Lac de Pannecière in Corancy. which is, to be precise, part of the Morvan Regional Natural Parc. so gorgeous!)
it's becoming a little tradition of mine to cast on a pair of socks before we leave on vacation. (socks are the perfect knitting project to take with you on vacation; small, portable and quick!)

so some days before we left, i cast on a pair of vanilla latte socks with fortissima mexiko yarn from my stash. it's been a while since i knit socks with selfstriping yarn, and i thought this yarn was perfect for the pattern.

also, my boyfriend likes to fish, so when we can, we go to a place where there's a lake. evenings are best for fishing so we spent many evenings at the lake, fishing/knitting until dark, drinking a beer and enjoying the view in the meantime.

 

we also went to visit a little town called Vézelay, mostly to go and see the abbey (which is pretty amazing), and in one of the tiny, uphill streets, we discovered this yarn shop from "la Ferme du Val Dampierre"... ♥

the shop was full of sweaters, gloves, afghans, gloves, hats, mittens,... all hand knit with yarn from their own farm! they also sold yarn, and i had the hardest time picking something to take home... i was in (yarn) heaven!! (i know that's breaking my not-buying-new-yarn rule. but i couldn't leave without buying something.)

(also in the shop: a cute little dog, shy at first but so sweet. not for sale though.)

i purchased two balls of alpaca yarn (sock weight). ooohhh these colours... this is without a doubt the prettiest, deepest burgundy colour i've ever seen! i paired it with a pretty teal colour. i love how they look together. this yarn is also ridiculously soft... i'm thinking about gloves...(combining the two with some colourwork, maybe?)

so... after a week of relaxing,  we're back to work and once again full of energy!

 don't you love vacation? how did you spend yours?

♥

after my last post i've been really motivated to really do something about my "bad" habits! i finished knitting all the baby stuff and started crocheting like crazy on my hexagon blanket!

i did this while enjoying the lovely weather the last weekends... :) life as it should be! ;)

our chickens were enjoying the sunshine too. aren't they the cutest? 

i also reorganised my stash and put it all on ravelry, which was a suggestion from Britney from bapsicrafts. this way i can match yardages/weights to my ravelry faves and knit/crochet away! it's also good to see what i have, which is obviously a lot more difficult when it's all stuffed in a box in the basement. :) turns out i have enough yarn for 9 pairs of socks, at least two or three baby sweaters and wristwarmers or gloves. and this is only the first box of three... oh-ooow!

 

oh and here's a sneak preview of one of the baby knits... so, so adorable. but more about that later!

today the weather is is feeling like spring and so am i!

i am longing for a good, thorough spring clean-up but i lack the time. however, i DID clean up our computer and discovered some photos of projects i hadn't yet blogged about, so i will be sharing these in the following posts!

first up is a pair of socks i finished in march 2013. the reason i didn't blog this pair is simple: i don't like them. there's nothing wrong with them, i just don't like the look of the yarn. they were knitted with Opal Sock yarn and it turns out, i am just not an Opal fan. ;)

(also: notice how the yarn pools a little bit on the right sock leg - for those who don't know what pooling means, let me share my knitters geek wisdom with you: pooling is when colours knit up in "blotches", creating "pools" of colour. this was my first "pooling experience" and EUGH, i do not like it.)

 

let's also share a (small) project that i do like: yesterday i made a crocheted bookmark for my moms birthday (for the record: we had a bigger gift too, i just like giving something hand-made even if it's tiny like this)

 i'm definitely making one for myself too, because this is way more stylish than a supermarket receipt, right? (and i have to admit, i love the tassel)

 (more details and a pattern link on ravelry)

somewhere in july, i started yet another blanket. a picnic blanket this time. but it's going to be an easy one, to use up my huge stash of dust-collecting acrylic yarns. 

 the plan is to knit 6 or 7 long garter stitch scarves with yarn held double (always a colour + white yarn to tone down the colours a bit, since i will be using a lot of colours. i also have a lot of white yarn), and to make these into a picnic blanket with, perhaps, a fabric back. (i'm thinking of a quilt with squares that are the same size... we'll see)

 i made a colour scheme to make sure all the colours i want to use are divided equally... so i don't even have to think about the colours while i'm knitting, i just knit away!

so after turning all those scraps into a magic ball, it was time to start thinking about a project. i first started a granny square blanket (the one where you crochet a huge square) because i liked the idea of hours of mindless crochet. but i didn't like the result. it was okay, but i didn't love it, you know?

so i did a lot of browsing and searching for magic ball projects on ravelry and now i think i found a way to make it work and turn it into something pretty! 

i knit a log cabin with the magic ball, which is basicly a square in garter stitch that is created by picking up stitches on the other side. (for a tutorial, check out this link)... and i think it looks quite nice! a bit messy and scrappy, maybe, but that's the look we're going for, right?

 

 

 now that i have quite a big square, i was wondering what to do next. i think these squares will look best on a neutral background, to tone down all these colors... probably grey, or black. i made a little sketch to see what works best, but it is so hard to judge. so i think, once i have enough squares, i will just try and see what looks best... but i think it will make a lovely scrap blanket either way!

 i'm already collecting scraps for my next magic ball, i'm almost finished with this one. :)

talking about scraps: i'm also saving my sock yarn scraps... too pretty to throw away and i reaaaaally want to knit a pair of mismatched socks someday. :)

what about you? do you keep your yarn scraps?

last year i started collecting all my yarn scraps (literally anything that is long enough to tie together, everything else is collected in a plastic bag and will be repurposed as toy stuffing)... 

i tied all scraps together using a russian join... (have you heard about a russian join? it's brilliant, every knitter or crocheter should know how to do this)

... and i ended up with this... probably the ugliest ball of yarn i've ever seen. 

and i LOOOVE it!!

(apparently this is what you call a "magic ball" because you never know which colour comes next)

and now i'm trying to figure out a way to turn this "pretty ugly" magic ball into a "ugly pretty" project! :)

some weeks ago i received the nicest package ever. a big box stuffed with yarn! Himiko sent it to me, she cleaned out her yarn stash and sent all her leftovers to me! just because! after 3 years of blogging i'm still amazed of all the friendship and generosity in blogland. :)

but, just look at all this yarn! lots of pastel colours (which is great, cause pastels are not colours i would pick myself) and some good quality yarns like Phildar!

 

there was quite some baby pink Phildar yarn, so i decided to knit a cute baby cardigan!

 here's one sleeve...

 and here's the other...

and some lace details on the body.

i'm loving this knit, it's going incredibly fast because i'm so eager to finish it and to see how it turns out. verrrry girly and pink, that's for sure! :)

(pattern: Maile sweater by What to knit when you're expecting)

some weeks ago, i finished the yellow cowl/circle scarf i started in december.

 

i absolutely love the color and the stitch pattern, it brightens up every outfit. i made up the pattern myself (easy: i just crocheted a scarf and sewed it together) and i wish i made it a little less wide, so it would be longer. it is too short to wrap it around twice, which i had in mind...but i ran out of yarn (and i bought this skein a long, long time ago) and i also didn't feel like starting over. so i wear it like this! lesson learned for the next cowl or circle scarf i make!  

this weekend i started a new knitting project since my mom asked me to make a hat for my dad. the cold is almost over now, so i feel like i'm running a bit behind... but i plan on finishing it soon so he can still enjoy it while it's winter. pictures next time!

last sunday, i cast on a new project... ever since i bought two skeins of madeline tosh merino light, i was looking for a shawl pattern and since i chose two colours of yarn, i was thinking about a striped shawl. but when i saw this pattern, called Simple Lines, i immediately thought of a colour blocked shawl. so that's what i'm doing right now! :)

the beauty of this colour blocking idea is that when i run out of yarn, i can simply go and buy some more yarn in either the same or a contrasting colour... so i don't have to stress about having enough yarn and just knit, knit away!

 what i also love about the pattern is that it is super easy and it really shows off the yarn. and i can see why madeline tosh is a favorite of many knitters... it is super soft and the colour is amazing...  you can't really tell by these pictures (it was already dark outside) but it's really, really pretty. :) totally worth its money!

what about you? do you prefer expensive or cheap yarn? i think i like both, depends on what the project is i guess. :)

HIP HIP HOORAY!!! 

yesterday was my third blogiversary

 and i decided to celebrate this joyous occasion with a GIVE-AWAY!!! 

i thought it would be nice to give away three yarny gifts... so you can make a lovely pair of socks, handwarmers, maybe even a cowl or something... anything you fancy!

 the first gift contains 4 balls (50gr) of 100% alpaca yarn: Alpaka by Schachenmayr Nomotta. i used this yarn for the boyfriend scarf ! Also in this gift is a pair of the neon-beige handwarmers i made and a bunch of cute brown buttons.

gift number two contains one ball of Opal Grafitti sock yarn (100gr, 75% superwash wool and 25% polyamid), to make a nice pair of socks with, or, if you don't like socks, a colourful cowl/neckwarmer or a pair of gloves maybe... you decide! also in this gift: a lot of cute brown buttons.

and last, but not least, gift number three. this gift contains two balls of Alpaka Fashion (again by Schachenmayr Nomotta) in a pretty blue colour, kinda jeans-like. and again: buttons!

now what do you have to do to win this give-away? it's easy! 

become a follower of my blog (if you aren't already) and leave a comment.
if you prefer a particular gift, let me know!

if you want an extra chance to win, you can make a blogpost about my give-away or my blog in general! make sure to leave an extra comment for your blogpost. 

the give-away is open until 18 november! international readers can also enter, do note there is only one gift to win for international readers!

that's all! see you later!! :)