I haven’t taken any photos of my latest finished objects. I’ve got to get some time, energy and good daylight – a trifecta of things that has to happen in order to have some blog content. I especially need some good lighting for my finished Comfort Fade Cardigan, it’s insanely vivid and bright and I can’t wait for it to be dry so I can wear it. In December I talked about what I wanted to knit for 2018 and I checked one thing off of my list with the completion of my Comfort Fade Cardigan this week…BUT of course I’ve already deviated from my original plans.
One of things I want to do this year is really work with what is in my stash. I’ve got a lot of yarn and I always have lofty dreams and ideas of what I’m going to make. And don’t get me wrong, clearly I produce a lot of stuff. I just don’t produce it with what is already in my stash. I have to do better about that. I buy pretty yarn on sale and at trunk shows or Maryland Sheep and Wool and then don’t use it because it’s too pretty. So I’m striving to do less of that and more knitting with what I have. I’ve had 900+ yards of Berroco Vintage Chunky in a gorgeous teal color, Tide Pool, in my stash now for years and I haven’t done anything with it. I originally intended to make the Camilla Pullover and then quickly learned I hate the look of garter stitch in an allover sweater on me. So the yarn just sat and I never made anything with it. Then I saw the Freja sweater from the latest Brooklyn Tweed release and thought it would look awesome in that deep teal. [Side note: I’m getting frustrated with knitting photography for patterns. Why photograph a dark sweater on a dark background? You can barely tell what the sweater looks like because of the mood they’re trying to set for the pics] I was just shy of a few skeins so I ordered the 3 more I needed and will alternate skeins to minimize the look of the mismatched dye lots. But I’ll be removing a large chunk of yarn in my knitting stash! WOOHOO. This is a seamed piece but worked up on larger needles so I have a feeling this one will work up quickly and will be a nice addition to my wardrobe although I have a feeling my sister Helen may try to take this one over. And after this one is completed I really want to work on making my husband that shawl collared vest he asked me to make him way back in the summer.
So what have you been working on in 2018? Any finished objects yet?
Yards of Happiness 
I hear you on getting through stash! I really need to focus on knitting with what I have, but then you see new things — a new pattern, a pretty yarn somewhere — it’s so easy to get distracted! Looking forward to seeing your Freja — it looks like it’ll be a really great wardrobe staple! I haven’t finished anything this year, except a hat, but I’ve got a few projects on the go!
My stash is entirely too big and my husband gave me a gift card to my favorite LYS and keep saying ‘go buy some yarn!’ and I’m like no I’ll wait and maybe get books or new needles. Don’t pressure me LOL
Ha! I love it! Mine is really big as well and Edinburgh Yarn Festival is coming up so I’d like to be able to buy some new yarn there without feeling too guilty. Better get knitting, ha!
You find the cutest patterns!!! Freja looks like something you could wear over and over with all kinds of things. Can’t wait to see yours!
That’s the hope and if it’s a really good knit it might be made in the camel colored yarn I have too. LOL
Ive been watching knitting podcasts to inspire me to complete what I have started. I think I would want the longer sleeve on the Freja.
I was looking at the Sunday Drive cardigan at Tanis Fibers https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sunday-drive-2
I enjoy your blog.
Sunday Drive was in my favorites for a while but I am pretty excited about my Comfort Fade Cardigan. I love a good shawl collar. And thanks for reading 🙂
I watched a podcast with Andrea Mowry(the designer)
snd Kristy Glass. Comfort Fade is wonderful. Can’t wait to see it.
Amen! I agree wholeheartedly with the side note . . . why? WHY?!!!
It’s the most frustrating thing. I want to see the details.
I’ve been plugging away on a top down cardi but when you posted your list of what you wanted to knit this year I loved Gabrielle and bought that pattern and Odetta. Then oops-the yarn for both fell into my cart on the loveknitting site (Christmas present to myself). I bought Tide Pool for Gabrielle. I love the color-it’s a very rich blue. Haven’t started the sweater yet but the yarn is wound and waiting in the wings.
Tide Pool is such a deep blue, I’m excited to finally knit it up after all this time.
I have Freja fave’d on Rav. I feel my sock yarn is what I can use up most pretty much everything else is a bunch of single skeins. I know I have enough Miss Babs yarn to knit a cardigan, a project I had major trouble with gauge wise. I have a lot of 128 superwash in a magenta that was supposed to be an Idlewood but I ran into problems with mismatched dye lots and got tired of that yarn. I guess I’ll have to find something else for it. And I have a lot of this Brava Bulky in a color I’m not in love with; I don’t know what to do with it.
Maybe sell or swap the yarn you don’t want on Ravelry?
Working on a few WIPs before casting on something new. I have committed to no yarn buying, at least until MDSW. Must use up some stash. And I agree completely about the dark yarn/dark photos. Why hide the details of a fabulous pattern?
Exactly! The less I see of it the less I’m inclined to buy the pattern!
I love your designs, really inspiring. I’ve been knitting for over 20years. I start sweater patterns that look simple enough then once I begin the front panel of a cardigan, I abandon the project and gravitate toward quicker projects; like hats, socks, and scarves. I’m eager to kit from the top down or just in the round. Any tips? Please share.
Might I suggest a simple top down pattern with a bit of interest? The Flax sweater is a free one that I always send people to: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/flax And maybe even make it in a child size as a gift so that the full size doesn’t seem so daunting!
I agree about photos for patterns! I wanted to knit a sweater but not a single photo showed the front of it, if not for Ravelry and other people’s photos I wouldn’t really know how it looks! And the “artistic” photos of dark items on dark background are such a nonsense too.
Someone on my knitting group on facebook shared a picture oh a typical knitter’s stash recently. There was a category of yarn “very pretty yarn that I’m scared to use” and I instantly thought how true it that. Now your post reminded me of that, it’s obviously a common problem 😉
My sweater I named the Pink Professor was one I made with yarn I had deemed to pretty. Yummy Madelinetosh Vintage in a gorgeous pink with so many other colors in it. I finally knit with it and it felt so awesome in the hands and feels so good on that I’m like why did I wait so long?!
Maybe all this waiting and anticipation makes you appreciate it even more 😉 It’s funny that we do it – buy great yarn and then feel intimidated by how awesome it is instead of enjoying it!
I definitely want to work through my stash, so you’re going to inspire me! I have some Neighborhood Fiber Co. Rustic Fingering for a Boxy sweater. I also have enough Brooklyn Tweed Shelter for a sweater, but then I saw Norah Gaughan’s wrap. I think it’s going to inspire me to try brioche. I totally wait to use my good yarn too, which is silly. It’s time to use the good stuff.
How about this year we start using the good stuff?! It’s time! LOL it makes the knitting even more enjoyable.