Crafting Update

It's been awhile since I posted anything on the blog. I've been reading and crafting just not posting. Thought it might be time to remedy that - new year and all. Maybe it's the boredom of being stuck in the house during Texas Snowmageddon 2023. This is becoming an annual occurrence. Not a fan. 0/10. Do not recommend. 

I've been stymied by the latest Stephen West Knit-along Twists and Turns. I'm up to the last section but I don't like how my first wing turned out so I'm going to have to rip out and redo. Ugh! Instead I dug out some yarn that I've had in my stash for way too long and started a new project.

Cotton Kings Twirl

This is Hobbii's Cotton King Twirls, it's a 100% cotton, sport weight, four strand yarn in a gradient cake. There are 874 yards (799 meters) per cake.  This is the Tanzanite colorway.

 Cotton Kings Twirls cakes are no longer available but Hobbii has plenty of other color gradient cake yarns available. I think Sultan is the official replacement for Twirls. It's appears to be basically the same yarn, same size, weight, length, etc. Same product rebranded? I haven't been paying attention.

Anyway, let's see what I've been making out of it. Since it's got long lengths of color these types of yarns are great for shawls because the color changes as you go and it makes the finished product look more complicated that it actually is. I feel like most people tend to use this type of cotton yarn for crochet but I'm a devoted knitter so...

Before I show off my shawl, some hints for using stranded yarns. They are known for being a bit more difficult than twined yarns like Twister. It really helps to thread the yarn through a bead to keep the strands from becoming too unruly. I also like to put the cake into a Tupperware container that I keep on the floor below me while knitting. I've found that picking up the cake itself can cause it to collapse and the Tupperware helps keep it stable.

2/1/2023

The project I chose is Criss Cross by Dirk Gerngross a free pattern I found on Ravelry. It alternates garter/stockinette (like a sideways ribbing) and semi-Brioche. The English instructions for the Brioche section are not great and were confusing because I haven't done a lot of Brioche so I used this webpage to help figure it out. 

The picture over on the right here is at the end of Day 1 (2/1/2023). I got 3.5 repeats finished and the pattern is starting to appear. This shawl is started in one corner and builds from there with a 28 row repeat that you continue until satisfied or run out of yarn so it's perfect for a color changing cake.

 

Once you get into the flow, the knitting is pretty mindless as long as you remember the yarn overs and KFB at the end/beginning of each row. I'm enjoying working on a project that I don't have to think about all that much. Much simpler than the Twists and Turns that is in the naughty basket. LOL.

2/2/2023

 Day 2. I didn't get quite as much done on Day 2 as I   did on Day 1 because the rows are getting longer and   longer as stitches get added. I still haven't reached   the color change yet. Maybe today or tomorrow.

The other ongoing project that I'm working on is a scrap blanket. The pattern is Ten Stitch Blanket by Frankie Brown. Another free pattern I found on Ravelry. I'm using all the odds and ends of yarns that I've had left over from projects over the past couple of years. I started this in 2021 and it's been slow going because I'm mostly using it as a travel project since it's extremely mindless knitting that's easy to do in the car. I pick the next color randomly by reaching into my knitting bag and grabbing whatever comes to hand first.