Felting, fibers, and the stash

My progress on finishing the felted bag proved to be false. I knitted up handles out of the unidentified yarn, but they just didn't felt the way I wanted them to. I followed the same procedure as I had with the bag - washing them in the machine with hot water & detergent for two full cycles. They just didn't felt as tightly as the colored yarn portions of the bag which are made out of Cascade. So you can see on the needles in the front the new handles being knit on Sz.8 needles from some light grey Cascade from the stash.

I'm largely a natural fiber lover so that is what you will see here most of the time. I do occasionally stray outside that realm to dilly-dally with something fuzzy and synthetic and I do have an ongoing blanket project that consists of Lion Brand Homespun. However, I prefer the feel and drape of natural fibers. When I'm making costumes or sewing I generally feel the same way about fabric content, although synthetics certainly have their own properties that make them quite useful, especially for theatre. If you are familiar with the Mary Zimmerman play "Metamorphoses," then you know that most of the play's action takes place in a pool onstage. When I designed the costumes for a production of it I turned to synthetics because they retained less water than natural fibers and dried quicker. But I digress...

That Guy of mine is going on a trip to Ireland for the next week and will be taking the digital camera with him. Never fear! I've decided that I will use this time to flash my stash! I have been stashing somewhat fiercely in preparation for my first year of grad school seeing as I can't really justify purchasing yarn as a school expense (it is cheaper then therapy though, right? Except I think you can get free therapy through the Student Health Center - shoot!). So I will bring you installments of Sarah's Stash Flash. The stash and I had a photo shoot this afternoon. Rather then photo it in it's natural habitat (the sewing/yarn/painting room) I decided to drag it all out on our back porch balcony to take advantage of the natural sunlight. First up, an object in progress photo.

This is my Bevo hoodie. A raglan sleeve hoodie pattern from last summer's Vogue Knitting issue with the minor adjustment of K1P1 ribbing at the bottom edge. It has a curled stockinette stitch edge but I prefer the ribbing. And now for a stash only photo.

Recycled cotton - meaning I unraveled a Goodwill sweater because I liked the varigated colors. It's been in the stash for a while, but I think it's going to become a small log cabin rug for the entryway. Thanks again to the Mason-Dixon book for inspiration! Stay tuned for more stash photos,
Tschuss!