It’s time for the last inventory post for 2015! In December, I completed three projects and just barely used up enough yarn (145 g) to get under 50% of my stash remaining. I would call that a pretty solid year of knitting!

My first project in December was a pair of fingerless mitts for my cousin who always has cold hands at work. I chose the Leydon Mitts by Alicia Plummer. This is a great pattern because it has an interesting texture and the fisherman rib used for the edging is plush and warm. The mitts used 35 g of lavender Galler Yarns Prime Alpaca that I had leftover from the Reine Cardigan. I think my cousin will enjoy these warm, soft mitts.

For project #2 I made a cute little baby cardigan from the Fuss-Free Baby Cardigan pattern by Louise Tillbrook. This used 65 g of Bernat Softee Baby yarn. I changed up the edging of the pattern so that it is continuous and has rounded corners. I skipped the pattern’s garter ridges at the neck and worked the whole body of the cardigan, picked up stitches all the way around, then worked garter stitch in the round to create the edging. On every other round, I increased two stitches in each corner to make sure the edge would lay flat. I have used this pattern before to make a Colorado Avalanche-themed baby cardigan for a friend’s baby, and I’m looking forward to giving this one to the next friend who needs it.

My last project of the year was designed to use up the rest of my Noro Silk Garden yarn, 45 g worth. It’s a really simple ribbed pattern worked in the round, using a (K2,P2,K1,P1,K1,P1) repeat. Initially intended to be a headband, it ended up being pretty tall, so it can also be worn as a cowl. I really like how the distinct colors of this yarn show up in this headband/cowl — maybe even better than in last month’s Grey Gardens headband.

YEAR-TO-DATE STATISTICS

• 52 different yarns remaining
• 2479 g remaining (49.58%)
• 40 projects completed in 2015

In November I completed two knitting projects. Just as importantly, I started giving away some of the knit items I’ve completed for my stash challenge! Every year we spend Thanksgiving with my mom’s side of the family, and there are usually 15-20 people there. This year was no exception, and it was the perfect place to offer up my fiber wares (for free, of course). More than half of the items I’ve made in the stash challenge were claimed by various family members.

I was thrilled that everyone was so eager to wear my knit items. I always try to make sure to avoid giving homemade gifts that people don’t really like, yet feel obligated to compliment. So for this stash challenge, I have primarily focused on making things that I like without targeting specific recipients, unless someone requests a particular item. Friends and family, please let me know if you want me to make you something! I have more yarn to use…

Moving on to this month’s projects…the first item I made was the Grey Gardens entrelac turban, using 55 g of Noro Silk Garden yarn. I’ve seen entrelac in several patterns over the years, and finally learned how to use the technique to make this headwrap. If you’re not familiar, entrelac creates a basketweave-like effect by working tiers of rectangles and triangles. You knit one complete rectangle/triangle before moving on to the next one in the same tier. The Grey Gardens pattern has very clear instructions for the technique. As for the yarn, I have long admired the brilliant color combinations that Noro creates. Silk Garden is a beautiful blend of silk, mohair, and wool with varying thickness that works up with a rustic look and feel.

For the second project, I made a pair of boot toppers using 60 g of orange Red Heart Classic Soft yarn. Boot toppers are like boot socks, but they are only a few inches tall. They are designed to be worn around the calf, peeking out from the top of your boots. They’re an easy alternative to making full socks and are quick to knit up out of a small amount of leftover yarn. I figured out a simple pattern myself, with ribbing, cables, and picot bind-off. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of the toppers with boots before giving them to my sister-in-law. If I can round up a good photo, I’ll update this post.

Update 1/24/16:  Here are a couple pictures of the boot toppers in action!

YEAR-TO-DATE STATISTICS

• 53 different yarns remaining
• 2624 g remaining (52.48%)
• 34 projects completed in 2015

(edited:  replaced some photos with better ones!)

September was a great month for knitting! I even threw a little crochet into the mix, too. For the first time during my stash challenge, I used over 10% of my inventory in a month, 505 g to be exact. Being on vacation the whole month really influenced the amount of time I had to knit — I doubt there will ever be another month like this once I start my new job.

My first project this month was a Chevron Scarf crocheted from 170 g of peach-colored Caron Simply Soft yarn. This was a nice simple project to get back into crochet — I learned when I was about 10 years old from a lovely woman named Virginia, and dabbled with it off and on since then, most recently about 10 years ago. Anyway, I found this scarf pattern easy to learn and work on while chatting with friends. After the first row, there is only one row that you repeat over and over until the scarf is the right length.

Five or six years ago I bought two balls of South West Trading Company Twizé bamboo yarn on sale, and they had been languishing in my stash ever since. I just didn’t love them and struggled to find a pattern that inspired me to use them. This month I finally used them to knit a Blogathon Lace Triangle Scarf. I modified the pattern slightly by ending with a few rows of garter stitch to keep the top edge from rolling and by neglecting to add the designer’s recommended tassels. The scarf took 200 g of the Twizé, and while I am pleased with how it looks and feels, I did not enjoy knitting with this yarn. The fibers separate very easily, especially when doing the double decrease stitch that is central to the lace pattern. But Ravelry tells me that the yarn has been discontinued, so I guess none of us have to worry about that anymore!

The rest of the yarn I used in September was cotton used to knit various dishcloths/washcloths. First I made two Almost Lost Washcloths from a multicolored Lily Sugar’n’Creme cotton yarn (70 g total). This pattern uses garter stitch and short rows to make round, scalloped cloths. I found the pattern pretty easy to memorize after the first few repeats. Next I made four mini washcloths using the Mini Almost Lost Washcloth pattern and three different colorways of Lily Sugar’n’Creme (35 g total). This pattern is similar to the larger cloths and even easier to learn, plus it’s a great way to use up small amounts of yarn. Finally, I made a Dr. Who TARDIS Dishcloth from 30 g of some unknown orange cotton yarn. I don’t follow the show, but I know the TARDIS is supposed to be blue…work with me, I have a stash to clear out!

Overall, I made great progress in September toward my goal of using up all the yarn in my stash. I’m almost halfway there! Thank you for following along on my journey.

YEAR-TO-DATE STATISTICS

• 55 different yarns remaining
• 2814 g remaining (56.28%)
• 31 projects completed in 2015

This month I completed five projects:  four knitting projects totaling 255 g of yarn and one Ph.D.!!! Thank you, knitting, for keeping me sane these past few months of finishing my dissertation. (Ok, my friends and family also helped on that count!) Let’s see what I made:

1) I modified the toe-up sock pattern that I cobbled together last month to make a pair of boot socks, using 100 g of Plymouth Happy Feet yarn.. To make the pattern more interesting, I used an openwork diamond stitch that I found in the 400 Knitting Stitches book by Potter Craft. The other difference from last month‘s socks is that I added several increases for the calf. I didn’t check this until taking the photos below, but the size of the socks turned out perfectly for my boots, just peeking out over the tops.

2) A few months ago, I bought a stack of old knitting magazines from my local yarn shop. In an Interweave Knits magazine I found the Koolhaas Hat by Jared Flood and was taken with its interesting architectural pattern. I decided to knit it in a pretty red Mirasol K’acha yarn, using 55 g. My hat turned out to be plush, warm, and beautiful!

3) The Darkside Cowl by Sarah Fama uses a combination of vertical ribbing and horizontal welting to create a cool reversible zigzag stitch. My cowl is made from 100 g of Malabrigo Rios in the Paris Night colorway. I found this to be a quick and easy knit that beautifully showcases the subtle color variations in the yarn. Plus, the stitch pattern causes the fabric to naturally contract so the cowl stays nice and tight for warmth.

4) I finally finished my poncho! On Ravelry, I called it a Summer Poncho, which accurately describes how long it took me to make it. This month, I sewed together the two halves and added fringe along the bottom. In total, it took about 475 g of Loops & Threads Impeccable yarn. I am really pleased with how it turned out, and surprisingly I’m right on trend – I have been seeing ponchos everywhere!

5) The project I am most proud of is finishing my Ph.D. It has been a long time coming. It was surreal to find myself this month completing my last edits and getting my reading committee to sign off on it. But it’s finished, hooray!

YEAR-TO-DATE STATISTICS

• 61 different yarns remaining
• 3319 g remaining (66.38%)
• 22 projects completed in 2015