around n round she goes

A blog for my knitting, spinning, quilting, violin-playing, or whatever else floats my boat

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Location: Texas

Thursday, September 14, 2006

I wonder if it's enough? - a stash-busting exercise

From the stash:
About 27 ounces of worsted weight heathery oatmeal-colored 2-ply wool.

I purchased this at a yarn estate sale last April and I'd love to use it for my Circumnavigate Cardigan for the Guild project. Especially since the lady from whom's stash this flows is the one that wrote the program we're following this year. (Not the pattern itself; more of a guide to the pattern).

It represents a nice symmetry to knit a cardigan pattern she loved out of her yarn. She had intended to teach this class for us this year.

I'm just not sure I've got enough and will for sure not be able to get any more - I think this might be handspun and there's no telling how long she had it.

I think I need to re-read those Knitter's Review articles on how to figure out how much is in a skein....

I do know that it's a bit less in weight than the jacket I just finished, which came out to about 28 ounces and 1100 yards. That was a heavy worsted weight, though, so it's not an apples to apples comparison. I'm probably going to need about 1500-1600 yards of worsted weight.

I'd hate to get too far into this and find out that I'm going to run out part-way through.

Maybe using another color with it (a rose color? or a nice heathered blue?) will stretch it out far enough - I'll have to read the pattern through and see if there's a handy place for a second color.

First things first: it needs to be washed (no telling how long it's been sitting in her stash and it's looking a little grubby). I might as well unwind all of it, wash it and then measure it. Who knows? There might be plenty of yarn in there just waiting to become something warm and snuggly.....

If there isn't enough for the sweater, maybe this can become a nice Aran vest.

Results forthcoming! Washing 12 skeins of yarn will be a good weekend project.

3 Comments:

Blogger Marina said...

For handspun, I would use a niddy-noddy for measuring. Good thing about that is it will be ready for washing after that!

Do you hear Fearless whispering ... ?

3:44 PM  
Blogger Brigitte said...

See?!! What did I tell you about Marina and the pressure she's putting on us?!!

I think a mix with a heathered blue would be nice, or a dark red/burgundy.

Well, have fun washing it... I wouldn't be so enthused!

:)

8:28 AM  
Blogger Holly Jo said...

I think it is really nice that you are going to knit something the original owner would have liked. :) Good karma?

10:31 PM  

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