From last week…… I was able to finish up the Bumble hat. Having finished it once, found a round that was bothering me with a mistake, I ripped back to that point and reknit. Much better! This one is slated for the donation box as I collect things for the next cold weather season. The pattern is by Tin Can Knits and is written in sizes from infant to adult large. It works well with a single skein of DK you might have lurking in stash and I’m delighted that I was able to use up the final yards of this pretty wine-colored Northfield DK base to knit this one up. (I am working really hard on my oldest and longest-stashed yarns and this was one of them that is now completely used up and out of stash!) Additionally, I’ve finished sock #1 of the Kingsfoil socks pair. Pattern by Virginia Sattler-Reimer, and I have made the smallest start on sock #2 by getting the ribbing done. Additionally, I cast on a single-skein shawl to try to use up yet another of those deep stash skeins. This one is the Sommelier shawl by Janina Kallio of Woolenberry and I’m using a skein of Merino 100 sportweight from Oceanwind Knits in the colorway Amethyst.
I’ve also finished up the first bobbin of singles for my current handspun project. The original fiber is from Pigeon Roof Studios on a BFL base. The colorway is a moody black-purple called Mephistopheles. I’m shooting for a sportweight 2-ply and spinning this up as a fractal spin since I like how the colors work up that way.
And last but not least, this week’s progress on Winter’s Encounter. Slow progress but even a hundred stitches a day starts to add up. I’m seriously considering just focusing on this until it’s done – or I get burned out on it – whichever comes first.
Have a great week, YOP’ers!
Knit One, Spin Too 
Love the Kingsfoil sock pattern and the yarn you chose. Also love the Amethyst colorway for your shawl. I too have lots of yarn that I bought years ago that needs to be knit up. I still love the yarns so I don’t want to give them away yet.
Your last sentence is exactly my issue. I’ve been thru stash several times, culled out things I know I wouldn’t use, so now I’m down to stuff I really WANT to work with, but it’s still a lot. I struggle with figuring out how best to tackle what I’ve got but I did a bit of a reorganization this weekend and it is painfully clear: Sock yarn skeins and sweater quantities (or at least large-ish quantities that are multiple skeins) really need to get focused on to whittle down the space they take up.
I totally agree with you on deep stash yarns… I’ve already given away the yarn I don’t want, so everything I still have is yarn I want to (eventually) use. I like the idea of working on using deep stash! I might have to try that (she says, having recently cast on a pair of socks with one of the newest yarns in stash).
(Actually, 2 of my 3 most recent cast-ons have been with older yarn, so I guess I’m not doing too badly.) 😉
I think it’s good to have a mix. You feel good about using up older/stashed yarn but having the treat of some new yarn to work with can’t be underestimated either. Everything’s a balance……
True! My most recent cast-on was with some yarn I bought on vacation, and that’s always a special feeling. I wanted to knit with it while all the memories were fresh. 🙂
All of your handwork is lovely. I do like the colors in that bobbin of handspun. I also often rip out mistakes and fix them. I’m just getting more value from the yarn. Ah – the dilemma of how to knit from stash. My latest excuse is I want to support my local LYS.
LOL – that’s a good excuse. But stash/not stash is always a hard decision! Thank you!
It’s great to use up stash yarn. I love that wine hat. What a gorgeous color.
Thank you! It’s a great red. 🙂
The bumble hat in that color is stunning! Love the sock and the shawl and the yarns you are using. How you can spin that thin yarn is beyond me. I truly admire all you spinners out there! Such a pretty colorway too. Winter’s Encounter is so beautiful. Yes, keep working on it until…..you might never tire of it. What a work of art. Enjoy your week!
LoL – Nothing but repetition, I assure you. My first forays into handspinning were nothing to write home about. Hope all is well in your corner of the world!
I haven’t tried any sock patterns with so much texture, I get caught up in my head that they’ll be uncomfortable in my shoes…plus 99.9% of the time I wear shoes they are walking/hiking ones…so I will continue to enjoy seeing the ones you make instead.
No issues with that! I love patterned socks (I’ve never found them uncomfortable to wear in any type of shoe FWIW) and they are kind of a staple in my knitting projects 🙂