Wednesday, January 30, 2008

So Long, Manos!

I have managed to knit up just about all six skeins of Manos that had long lingered in my stash. The final FOs were more successful than the first few.

The Purl Scarf (Ravelry link)

I made this with one skein of Manos and one skein of Douceur et Soie, another longtime languishee in the stash. At first, I questioned even using the Douceur, as they were very similar in color, but the addition of the Douceur added a very subtle sheen to the Manos, as well as a lovely halo. That, and I had no idea what I would do with this ball of yarn, having had it now for four years.


I really did need a warm winter hat. I tried Thorpe, and we all agree that while it might be an excellent hat for a Mongolian, it was not so good on me. I then made Gretel. The slouchy Gretel. And it was wwaaaaaaayyyyy slouchy, as in rastafarian slouchy. Rather than simply rip it back to a more normal size, though, I decided to felt it a bit. This the point that my super-slouchy beret turned into a gigantic head cozy. The felting process caused the ribbing in the brim to lose all elasticity, and well, it was a mess. It was impossible to frog (thank you, felting), so I threw it out. I'm sorry I did not take a photo of it, since all our loyal blog readers truly deserved a picture of this monstrosity, but I just pitched it. Sorry, Gretel, maybe next time.

So I needed to attempt a third hat, and since I really do admire Kirsten's work, and after the personal failure of the Thorpe Hat, I wanted to give another one of her patterns a try. The One Day Beret is a top-down beret recipe, and it is totally customizable to any yarn or gauge. Once you get past those first few rounds, it is really simple and quick knitting. My bind-off ended up being a little loose, so I threaded some elastic in the brim and snugged this up nicely. A smashing success!


I fell madly in love with Tikru's mittens when I first saw Grace's a few months back. Mine still need a good blocking, but since I've been wearing them every day, I've been unwilling to soak them and wait days for them to dry. They are a little too long than I'd like, but they do keep out the chill on cold mornings. I also made a huge error by knitting these on Addi Lace needles. Pointy needle + single ply yarn + cabling without a cable needle = lots of splitting and poking of the fingers. I could have easily gone upstairs and gotten a blunter needle, but I was lazy. Thus, I deserve the finger poking.

So, instead of making a whole sweater out of this yarn, as was my original intent, I made a ton of warm winter accessories, for me, for Rosebud, and for charity.


What yarns can you set free?

14 comments:

Marnie said...

well done! i am working through 10 skeins of charcoal malabrigo.

i love that beret on you. PS. you're one of my "make my day" people, though i'm sure you've gotten it a thousand times. I named you again anyway. cause, well, you make my day.

check blog, etc.

Theresa said...

This is a great use of languishing yarn (love the mittens best!). Very inspiring. Hmmm . . .

Laurie (Moo!) said...

I'm working on setting free the 8 (or so) singles of Malabrigo that I covet.

Manos sure did right by you. :-)

I know you're one busy gal but I gave you an award and didn't want you to miss it. :-)

Sarah said...

What a great color on you!

I have yet to find a yarn I really love. But maybe that's because I always buy sale yarn and never splurge on the nice stuff.

Ashley said...

That is a truly excellent use of those skeins--a little something for everyone, and plenty of that gorgeous, gorgeous color to go around. I'm especially in love with the scarf, for some reason. Is the mohair itchy on your neck?

Ann said...

What perfect timing! I reorganized the stash today and cannot believe how much great yarn I have. I kept coming up with loads of projects. I have lots of O-Wool and Malabrigo that needs attending to ...

Btw, those mittens rock the house.

Sally said...

Lovely! I expect to see you in all your turquoise splendor at the next SnB.

Anonymous said...

That is so much knitted manos goodness! I can't believe the douceur et soie matched so perfectly.

carrie said...

wow, you really deserve an award for "outstanding achievement in stash busting." that is impressive - every one a winner.

MandellaUK said...

You threw the hat out? I admire your resolve. Even when I hate things I knit they seem to languish around the house for years.

You certainly got your money's worth out of that yarn.

Anonymous said...

Well done! Fantastic job on all the manos goodness!

SpiderWomanKnits said...

Have you grown another pair of arms? Seriously! How do you get all that knitting done! What a load off, eh? You'll have to have a ball band burning party ;-)

I LOVE your mittens. They have been on my queue for a long while now. Yours turned out marvelous.

Madge said...

*clap clap clap* Congrats on stash busting your Manos so nicley!

I am one selfish woman, and hoard all my yarn like Gollum and that pesky ring. But. You've just given me a great idea on how to use up some of my single balls of Kidsilk Haze. Thank you! (The Koigu, however, shall never leave my clutches.)

nova said...

You have worked a great deal of magic with that manos...but the mittens, oh the mittens! I heart them.