I am quite proud of the three blankets that have evolved from my stash busting efforts. As I noted from my previous post, my goal was to create pieces while including large quantities of yarn from my extensive stash.The main criteria for each blanket was that I had to work with the yarn that I already had on hand.  The designs evolved as I sought attractive combinations.  The available yardage for each color helped to determine the eventual design.  I like to work with the extended Granny Square, and there are infinite design options that are available to me.   Project 1 ..read more

While many articles offer suggestions for projects for small amounts of leftover yarn, the focus of this post is to work on larger projects that combine individual whole skeins with collections of smaller skeins to create attractive shawls, blankets and lapgahns. My closet bins were stuffed to overflowing, and there were several shopping bags filled with skeins that no longer fit into the closet.  I was determined not to buy any additional yarn and to make a significant dent into my stash. How did I accumulate so much yarn that had not been designated for a specific project? I was attra ..read more

With Mothers' Day and warm weather approaching it is time to refresh your wardrobe or develop a gift for someone dear to you. I wrote about the Japanese Knotted Purse and the Bento Purse last year, but I wanted to showcase the designs with some new colors and new creations.   The Crocheted Bento Purse is simple to engineer.  You can simply crochet a rectangle in which the height is 1/3 of the length.Then fold the piece so that you end up with a V shape opening. For the red purse I used a half double crochet, stitched on the black loop only to create a ridged texture ..read more

When seeking a new project, I frequently like to find ways to showcase basic stitches in different ways or to try out intriguing color combinations.  I had just completed a shawl project which left me with a large partial skein of  O' Go worsted yarn in the Frosted Blueberry color way. The yarn reminded me of irises, but it needed something more to bring out my spring spirit. The Back To School Cardigans Free Pattern by Yarnspirations provided me with the opportunity.  Now I just needed a multicolored yarn in coordinating colors to make the sweater.  Luckily, I had 1 skein ..read more

 Fellow knitters, as promised I am sharing my experiments with knitted cowls that you can use to add style to the simplest outfit.  By experiments, I mean that none of the cowls featured in this article came from a single specific pattern.  My process included reading through many knitted cowl patterns to establish realistic size and stitch counts for completed cowls.  Then I combined stitch patterns that I have used successfully to produce other garments.  Now that I have taken notes and have examined the finished pieces I can move on to make changes in size and patt ..read more

With spring just around the corner, we still have time to accessorize an outfit with the textures and colors of a crocheted cowl.  I have considered crocheting cowls for awhile, but suddenly I had a window of time between projects.  Since each of the cowls in the article can be completed in a day or two of full time crocheting or a week of sparetime crafting, these pieces fit right into my schedule.  I began by surfing the internet or scrolling through Pinterest or Ravelry for pictures of pieces that were attractive, relatively easy to execute, and which would use only the wool ..read more

Since my local chapter of Threads of Love organized in 2009, members and participants have produced more than 900 pieces. The shawls, lapgahns, and children's blankets are donated to Yale New haven Hospital and to the St. Raphael Campus so that cancer and other seriously ill patients can receive a warm hug and caring wish  This chapter was orgainized by Sarah Blum, a former chaplain of St, Raphael Hospital and has been administered by Elaine Klein for members of  the Or Shalom synagogue and interested participants in the general New Haven area.  We passed our 500 mark in 2016 a ..read more

With so many interesting pictures of commercial sweaters to buy and patterns for making my own sweaters I was determined to try my hand at creating interesting sweaters with bold sleeve striping as the featured accent.  Since my three granddaughters like primary colors, I decided to discover the many ways I could use red, blue, and yellow to produce varied results.  By knitting with the same three colors to make three different sweaters, I hoped to have a cohesive body of work as I played with striping effects. My yarn choice was Read Heart With Love, a #4 Worsted.  Needles wer ..read more

As a very fortunate grandmother of three delightful girls (plus 2 wonderful teenage boys) I have wonderful models who are my muses for so many creations;  Now that all three girls have started dance programs, the front tied At the Barre Shrug designed by Diane Moyer for Yarnspirations is the perfect accessory for these "budding ballerinas." The free pattern is also shown on Ravelry and Pinterest. Although the directions called for Red Heart Sparkle Soft, this yarn is no longer available. Therefore, I substituted Caron Simply Soft which was a good fit for sparkle and weight. I started wit ..read more

As knitters, we sometimes start with a pattern and search for yarn.  At othermtimes we begin with the yarn and search for the pattern.  When I was gifted two large skeins of DK weight yarn in two different shades of pink, I knew I wanted to make a piece that would suit one or more of my granddaughters.  With the exception of my earlier infant sweaters, I don't usually knit with DK (#3) yarn as the projects take longer to complete, and I like the feel of worsted (#4) or sometimes chunky (#5). However the soft pink tones challenged me to try something different.   On a visi ..read more