Hooking the Wool-Eater Blanket CAL

I love to crochet. I love to work on my own designs. However, sometimes working on my own designs gets overwhelming, and yes staid, so I like to break up the monotony with other projects that keep me close to yarn and yet not struggling with math. There is something so great about working on a project that I can just follow directions for rather than design.

So, in light of that, last night I started the Wool Eater CAL 2012 going on at Sarah London's blog and on Ravelry. I decided that I had enough yarn in my stash that I could devote to this project along with some scrap yarn (which is going to make it interesting) that would also be appropriate so I started last night.

First, if you've never been to Sarah London's blog, please do go, her items are so vibrant and beautiful it will be worth the eye candy impact alone. However, she also has some really cool patterns and it's just a fun place to gather. The Wool eater blanket is one that really does eat up a lot of yarn! It's an amazingly fun pattern that I literally had to pull myself away from. . . now I'm concerned about my designing...

Here's a peek at what I started last night . . . I'm so excited about the possibilities! I'm not sure if this is going to stay in our home or be donated, but whatever the case, it's going to be amazing.

If you'd like to get in on the Wool Eater CAL 2012 just click on the link and you'll be taken to Sarah's Blog where there will be all the info you need along with a link to the pattern! I'll give you updates as it grows and as colors are added, but until then, take a look at what Sarah's been doing with hers here, and here.

Remnant Yarn, One of a Kind Pieces



Bohemian Fashion Scarf

 Most yarn lovers I know cannot stand the idea of throwing out a final length of yarn. It may be just one yard, not enough to make anything, but we keep it in the hopes that one day it will come in handy. Last year, as I was working on "de-stashing" I came across quite a bit of these remnant pieces and wondered what could be done. There wasn't one pattern I had that could be worked with any one of the yarns alone.

After thinking about it, I began to sort the yarn into color groups. There were cool and warm tones, reds and blues, but basically I just put the colors that seemed to work best together into separate bags. Once that was done I decided I'd just start a project. I chained a base row and began using the Extended Single Crochet (exsc) to create whatever came to mind.

The first piece turned up a lovely Bohemian Fashion Remnant Scarf that is impossible to duplicate! Why? Because in order to duplicate it the artist would need to have the exact amount of each type of yarn and be able to create the same number of rows as this one. That would be extremely expensive and almost impossible to do. Yes, they can make another, but this piece is truly one of a kind.

Cowl in Whites

After making the scarf I decided it was an amazing thing to create one of a kind pieces from the remnants so I began to chain different lengths, join in a cicle and twist some. The results were a few amazing pieces that will never be duplicated. I would think it would be a bit of a cool thing to own a piece that although another may own the same shape, no one will ever own one exactly like it!

That little experiment has made me even more vigilant in keeping my remnant yarn pieces. They are now the building blocks of the most unique pieces I will create and that is not something to be readily discarded.

Pieces of Blue Mobious

Purple Majesty Cowl

Mission: Declutter / Destash

Most yarn enthusiasts (myself included) will always talk about their "stash". We go out to yarn stores, find deals, think of the projects we'll make with the treasures we've found and purchase them. However, what inevitably happens is that the very yummy yarn we've just purchased gets put away with all the other yummy yarns we were enticed to purchase, never to be seen again. . . and so the "stash". This year, I've decided that one of my goals is to reduce my stash by any means necessary. Whether I create projects for sale, to give away to charity, to give to friends or sell it, I'm going to reduce my stash by 80%! Why? Because I don't want to feel that pang of guilt when I go to the yarn store and want to purchase a yarn, knowing I have so much at home.

I know we like to call it a stash, but in reality it's clutter and hoarding (sorry yarn folks) and it's the only thing in my house that I hoard. It's precious to me and I need to realize it does me no good to simply have it in a box or plastic bin or closet if it's yummy goodness never gets to be seen. . . .

My mission, that I've chosen to accept, is to "de-stash" and be merry in the process!

Cloche

Sometime last year I saw something that stuck with me until I finished this hat. What I saw was this really stylish looking young woman wearing jeans, a nice t-shirt and a cloche hat. The hat was a totally different color than her outfit, but it was a neutral color that could have been worn with anything and look wonderful. The reason it stood out was because, I'm all about not always having to do my hair. As much as I like it when it's done, I find it tedious to do it everyday. So, I decided to make myself a cloche that would work as an alternative to doing my hair this Spring.

Here it is! My amazing crochet cloche with it's beautiful accent flower! I wear this with jeans, but I know it can be worn with a dress or a more fancy outfit. For me, I just love the look of it without the fuss!

Pattern: My own
Material: Cranberry acrylic yarn, 1-skein
Time: 4-6 hours

This was a stash-busting project for me! I think if I can do more projects like this, I'll be through my stash in record time. . . especially since most yarnies, like me, never really get through the stash!!!




I'll make another one and post the pattern here for all to enjoy soon!