Shoppin' and Knittin' The Stash

One of my goals for the year is to make a knit sweater for me. I also wanted to take one of Gloria Tracy's classes at my LYS, but something has always interfered - usually little things like vacations or family gatherings. Last Wednesday the stars finally aligned and I started the first class in a series of 6 - ending in mid-November- to make my sweater.

Another goal is to shop and knit/crochet from my stash. Thanks to the 'stash' feature on Ravelry, I was able to see all the yarns I had in sufficient quantity for this project and pick my favorite 5 or 6 (yep, big stash) to take to class. I'm happy to say that my favorite - Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend - was the hands-down winner. I'm making a basketweave tee from one of the patterns (Rav link) Gloria designed when she owned K1C2 (which is now Knit One Crochet Too; she's not affiliated with the current company). This week's homework is to knit 20 rows each on the front and back; we'll join them in the next class and start knitting in the round from there. So far, it's pretty easy and I'm enjoying basketweave.

Since I saved $ by shopping the stash, I decided to splurge (a whole $7) and treat myself to another pair of Knitpicks Harmony wood needles. They're sharp, pretty and a pleasure to use.And life's too short to knit with ugly needles.