One Row Lace Scarf (Stashbusting Project #2)

I'm doing pretty well on my New Year's Stashbusting Resolution. I bought this alpaca/wool/bamboo fiber at a Fiber Festival in 2011. Wow, has it been in my stash that long? I spun a two-ply yarn and ended up with about 180 yards. I didn't especially enjoy spinning this blend of fiber so I put the yarn away for 3 years!

I pulled it out a few days ago and did what I always do when trying to match up yarn with a project. I went to the Ravelry advanced search tool, plugged in my yarn weight, yardage, etc. and came up with an assortment of projects which would work for this yarn. I started knitting a cowl, changed my mind, fingerless mitts, changed my mind, and ended up with a favorite scarf pattern. I have used this One Row Lace Scarf pattern twice before and loved it. (One of them is blogged here)  It seems I always have to eliminate a couple of new patterns before I settle on an old favorite. I have to go through the process.

Ravelry Link

I should not have left this yarn in my stash for so long. I really like the color, the drape, and everything about this scarf! 

More Cafe au Lait Mitts

I finally finished my alpaca Cafe au Lait Mitts! I love the pattern and love the yarn. Alpaca is a very warm fiber so these mitts will keep my hands toasty this winter and leave my fingers free for keys, phone, etc.

Ravelry link

Since I love this pattern so much, I decided to go ahead and knit another pair of mitts with my brown alpaca yarn. I usually knit items for gifts so this is quite a treat for me. My sisters gave me the yarn a few years ago for Christmas and I've been waiting for the right pattern. If you're a knitter, check out this free pattern on Ravelry and let me know how your mitts turn out!

Ravelry link

September is National Sewing Month so I need to put away my knitting needles and get back to my sewing projects! I have a stack of fabric calling my name. I just can't decide what to make first!

Cafe au Lait Mitts

I like to squeeze in a little knitting between sewing projects so that I can keep the fiber stash under control and not get buried underneath. This little project isn't making a huge dent in my stash but the pattern called for just the right amount of yarn (130 yards) for this skein of alpaca from Alpacas of Cedar Ridge. The pattern is very easy to follow and it will definitely be a quick knit. The free pattern for the Cafe au Lait Mitts can be found on Ravelry.

Ravelry link

The stitch markers are from Ruth at Sewchic.blogspot.com. She had a giveaway recently for these lovely stitch markers that she created and I was the lucky recipient! I immediately added them to my mitt project. Thank you Ruth!

What are your favorite one-skein knitting projects? 

Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival

I took a little road trip with a friend to the Third Annual Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival last weekend in Lexington, Ky. This was my second trip to the festival and it just keeps getting better! I really didn't need any more fiber to spin but that has never stopped me before from buying more. There were lots of booths with all kinds of fiber related products and activities - spinning, weaving, knitting, felting, etc. I was especially interested in the natural dyeing. There were yarns dyed with marigolds, walnuts, cochineal, queen anne's lace, onion skins, and lots more. I moved natural dyeing up pretty high on my to-do list.

There were more fiber producing animals there this year such as alpaca, llama, sheep, bunnies, goats. 

My friend bought this French angora bunny at the festival. She is 7 weeks old and loves to be held. She rode the entire 2 1/2 hour trip home in my lap. She will produce lots of fiber for spinning in addition to being a sweet, gentle pet.

I almost got away without buying fiber until I walked through the last vendor tent. This bluefaced leicester wool from yarngeekfibers.com was calling my name. I couldn't resist. I've already started spinning it into a fairly fine yarn which I will 2-ply and make into I don't know what but I'll figure that out later.

I just happened to be in the livestock pavilion when the sheep shearing demonstration started. As much as I love to spin wool, I didn't watch this demo very long. I know the wool has to come off but that poor sheep didn't enjoy it very much!

Great festival. Great vendors. Can't wait until next year!

One Row Lace Scarf

Once in a while, I get a little worried that I am buying yarn and fiber faster than I am using it. When this happens, I pull out a skein of yarn and go to Ravelry to find a pattern which will work with my yarn weight and yardage. I bought this Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Lace a couple of years ago at Blueball Mountain Spindle and Needleworks in Elizabethtown, Ky. I loved the colors in it and thought it would be nice to wear in the fall. I tried several different scarf and shawl patterns before deciding on a simple pattern which I had knitted once before. I always end up with a simple, classic pattern but always have to go through the elimination process.

Ravelry link

The pattern is called One Row Lace Scarf because every row is knitted exactly the same, making it easy to memorize. The free pattern can be found here. It can be knit in many yarn weights just by adjusting the needle size. I double stranded the lace weight yarn and used a size 7 needle. It was a somewhat slow project to knit but it was worth the effort. I love the scarf!

What are your favorite tried and true patterns for destashing?