Monthly Archives: March 2017

Stashdown 2017: Q1

2017, Quarter 1 numbers are in!

Well! This is a very positive way to start off the crafting year, if I may say so myself. If I can keep up this momentum the remaining quarters, I should have a healthy-though modest-stash reduction all around! Let’s look at those numbers.

My fiber stashdown effort was very successful this first quarter. My stated goal was the get 8 ounces out of stash per month, and I came pretty close! I managed to reduce my overall fiber stash by 20.3/24 ounces that I had hoped for. AND. For the first time since I started tracking two years ago, not a single ounce of fiber came in. After two solid years of buying, it feels nice to finally have a bit of a rest from it. I still have so much fiber stash to work through, and I’m already eyeing what I hope is my next project. It’s one that I prepped to spin over 6 months ago. I think the time has finally come for it. (To date, I have ~518.6oz of fiber still in stash: this is 32.4 pounds. There’s still a 2 year old hiding in there. By the end of the year, I’m hoping for a smaller toddler to be stashed away. Reverse growth. Or. Something. I’m not sure where I was trying to go with that, kitten. Please pretend I’m funny.)

My yarn stashdown efforts were equally successful! I managed to knit over 2.5yards out for every yard that came in (OK. There was a single skein destashed during this time, and I allowed myself to trash a partial skein from a flash-in-the-pan Indie that fades when washed, but that’s the only non-knitting help I got!), and the yarns I brought in are to work on projects I already have in mind. So I’m quite pleased on that account! Most yarn in was handspun, which isn’t something I can be angry about; why would I be?  The actual numbers themselves were small, but the ratio was excellent!

I hope to stay inspired to be equally green in this second quarter of 2017. Stashing is all well and good, but it’s nice to use some of those lovely yarns too!

What about you, kitten? Are you tracking any numbers? How have you been doing in your efforts towards your goals? Maybe you think it’s silly to track or that it takes the fun out of your hobbies?

March 2017: Wrap-Up

Yardage Totals 2017:

 January: 1,065yds
February: 1,075yds
March: 1,659yds
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:
2017 Totals: 3,799yds or 2.16 miles

It was an amazing month, kittens! OK. Not really amazing in a lot of ways, but I decided to focus on getting some knits finished and that led to excellent yardage numbers for March. I knit almost a mile’s worth of yarn during that time, and in only two different projects–another 101 yards and I would have! Most of the yardage came from my Find Your Fade Shawl, but a little bit was also knit in the first of my husband’s handspun socks.

All in all, I’m pretty pleased, but I know I can not sit down and knit large portions of the day as often as I did this month. I’m hoping April will still have a strong showing….

Now to figure out what my next larger project will be and get cast on!

How was your March? Did you get much crafting done? Do you have any plans for projects you would like to work on in April?

Show Notes: Episode 177

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♥ Please come join us in the Ravelry group!
♥ The podcast is now on YouTube, if you prefer to watch there. Please remember to give my videos a thumbs up and do the same for other podcasts you enjoy!
♥ If you like speckle-y sock yarn, you might want to check out my Etsy shop:lambytoesshop.etsy.com.

Show Notes: “The Short One”

WiPs:
♥ O2 of 12 socks
♥ Find Your Fade by Andrea Mowry

Spinning:
♥ Traditional 3-ply sportweight MoonRover fiber (February 2014 club braid)

Piggery:
♥ SucreSucre Miniatures progress keepers
♥ Newest Issue of PLY magazine is here!

Episode 177: The Short One

 

Hi, kittens! I’ve been pretty busy knitting away to finish up projects so I can cast on some new ones to share! Thank you for spending some of your time catching up with me today! Today’s episode has some WIPs, and some spinning! Show notes can be found on the blog at SewKnitpicky.net, and please consider joining the Knot A Podcast Ravelry group!

Blog: http://www.SewKnitpicky.net
Ravelry Group: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/knot-a-podcast
Shop: http://www.lambytoesshop.etsy.com

Show Notes: Episode 176

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This video doesn’t exist

♥ Please come join us in the Ravelry group!
♥ The podcast is now on YouTube, if you prefer to watch there. Please remember to give my videos a thumbs up and do the same for other podcasts you enjoy!
♥ If you like speckle-y sock yarn, you might want to check out my Etsy shop:lambytoesshop.etsy.com.

Show Notes: “The One With Many Cuts”

FOs:
♥ “Manly Maze” by Celeste Culpepper from the book, “No Sheep For You.” Knit on US Size 8 needles with Berroco Vintage yarn in “Oats” and some handspun remnants.

WiPs:
♥ O2 of 12 socks for 2017: Hello Yarn Corriedale Handspun socks for my husband and his giant feet.
♥ “Find Your Fade” by Andrea Mowry, knit in remnants from previous knits over the last decade.

Spinning:
♥ 4.65 oz and 270 yards of traditional 3-ply spun from MoonRover’s July 2014 club colorway.
♥ I discussed how I spun the yarn in the segment and showed two options I would like to put on the wheel in the near future.

Piggery:
♥ Last recording I failed to mention a pattern I had been gifted. My lovely friend Sara sent me a copy of her new sock pattern, “Cape Cod Socks.” There is currently a KAL running for them in her Ravelry group.

Episode 176: The One With Many Cuts

 

Hi, kittens! I’ve been pretty busy knitting away to finish up projects so I can cast on some new ones to share! Thank you for spending some of your time catching up with me today! Today’s episode has an FO, some WIPs, and some spinning! Show notes can be found on the blog at SewKnitpicky.net, and please consider joining the Knot A Podcast Ravelry group!

Blog: http://www.SewKnitpicky.net
Ravelry Group: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/knot-a-podcast
Shop: http://www.lambytoesshop.etsy.com

February 2017: Wrap-Up

Yardage Totals 2017:

 January: 1,065yds
February: 1,075yds
March:
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:
2017 Totals: 2,140yds or 1.22 miles

It was another good month, kittens! Especially when one considers that February is so short compared to all of the other months.

February was another month of not knitting every single day; I am still struggling to not have entire weeks where I wrap in a blanket and just eat while feeling despondent. But I did manage to have more good days than bad, and I did manage to gain some momentum after I finished the sleeves on my Manly Maze Sweater. (That’s an FO for the month, in fact: I finished it with one day to spare in the month.) I also started a Find Your Fade shawl– which is super fun to work on and is my treat knitting for the time being– and I started my second pair of socks for 2017. They are a pair of socks for my husband, so they are huge and will take some time; I am knitting them in fingering-ish weight handspun on size 0 needles on 72 stitches to start out. If that doesn’t show how much I love him, I’m not sure what does.  After putting in nearing 10 hours’ worth of labor, I am  finally working on the heel of the first sock to try and get it right; the husband has a very wide instep, so I am working on ways to elongate the heel without having too many fit issues. I usually knit all of his socks in heavier weight yarns, so the row gauge is less of an issue than on this particular pair.

So. Let’s talk about those yearly goals that I’m trying to keep better track of this year:

★ Knit 1,000 yards per month : YES! I am absolutely on-track to keep this momentum up for the time being. Between my Fade and my husband’s socks, I should do just fine in March as well.

★ Find time to sew, X-stitch, etc: NOPE. I do not believe I did anything besides knit and daydream about having the will to work on anything else. I thought about it a few times?

★ Aim for 8oz out of fiber stash per month: Not this month. BUT. I also did not bring in a single ounce of fiber, so that’s a win in its own way? Now that my sweater is done, I plan to start a spin. Finally.

★ Aim for 750 yards out of yarn stash per month:  Yes! I finished February with -1298 yards in the yarn stash, so this is another very close month for that goal. I do not see any reason why I should finish anywhere near failing on this one, since I have no plans to buy any yarn in March and only plan to spin a little and finish up a couple higher yardage projects.

All-in-all, not too bad, I think. February, like January, just flew by. Did you happen to get much done during it? Any favorite projects you worked on? Here’s to a productive March!

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