My New Year's Resolution

Resolution Crafts: Dedicated to using up all of the craft supplies I have accumulated over the past several years.

  So it's 2013. A New Year with all the cliched possibilities. For me, it's a chance to work through some of my stash of crafting supplies that I have accumulated over the past year(s). Last year my sons challenged me to not buy any new yarn all year. I accepted that challenge with the caveat that I could buy yarn and fiber at Flock and Fiber, the amazing fiber festival in Canby, OR.  Visit them at flockandfiberfestival.com. And I made it until about 2 weeks before the FandF. But then I visited a local yarn store with a friend and bought some more sock yarn. Not something I needed but then it never is.
   My plan is to stick to the same resolution as last year with the same exception. I will post what I knit, sew, or spin along the way. I will also try to finish one UFO a month. I welcome comments and suggestions about new projects. I probably won't post any original patterns (not my gift) but I will give tips on what is and isn't working for me with my latest project.

So wide I will have to block it in separate halves.

The snag that resulted from the monster's claws.

The monster himself

Here is the first UFO of the year. I had intended to have this done for Christmas. However, a little monster with very sharp claws had other plans. I tried fixing the snag with a crochet hook but that only made it worse. So I ended up doing a lot of pushing and pulling until it looked better. I have reblocked it but you can still see where the beast left his mark. The pattern for this shawl is in Interweave Summer 2012. I knit it on size 7 circulars from some Knit Picks lace weight I had on hand. The method for adding beads was not too hard to master and resulted in a nice scarf. The only thing that I was not pleased with was how wide the scarf was in contrast to the depth.

About 24 rows from completion.

Those are little gold sequins!

 And here is what I am currently working on. The yarn was a Christmas gift from a dear friend. It is called Rozetti Polaris and is made by Crystal Palace Yarns. The pattern is a free one from their website called Panda Silk DK Shawlette. http://www.straw.com/cpy/free_patterns.html
The lace pattern is not at all hard to master and features yarn overs and knit togethers on the right side onnly. The wrong side is all purl. I would recommend paying attention to the yarn overs or you may end up tearing out a few rows like I did.

The cast on edge doesn't fit with the rest of the pattern. So I decided that I will seam it together to create a solid hem of ribbing at the top. (See next photo.)

Stay tuned for more adventures in using what you have crafting. Coming next week: either a pajama top that was supposed to be a Christmas present or an apron. Plus more knitting.