Yarnometer: December 2018

The final month of 2018, and time to see how I’ve done for the year. I managed to get a lot of gift knitting done, and received some beautiful Christmas gifts that I’m looking forward to casting on in 2019.

Projects finished

Socks for Faye

My friend Faye recently had to give up kitting folllowing a shoulder injury, so I was really pleased to be able to gift her some festive socks in December.

Mini Harry Potter jumpers

I’d been planning this project for over five years, and this December I finally got round to knitting them. A silly, fiddly project, but the finished jumpers were perfect.

A blanket for my niece

My niece was already six months old by Christmas, so this was a little overdue, but both twins got given their blankets on Christmas Day. Hooray!

A stocking for my daughter

Another down to the wire project, this stocking was finished on Christmas Eve (now a tradition as the others got their stockings on the eve of their first Christmas too).

The ins and outs of yarn

Yarn in

• 100 g of King Cole Zig Zag from a Secret Santa
• 70 g festive sock set from Pixie Yarns
• 100 g of stripey sock yarn from my December Sock Crate
• 300 g Sincerely Louise Triceratops Head kit (they discontinued it, so I had to buy one of the last ones)
• 900 g Drops Nepal for a Chuck (a Christmas present)
• 700 g Knit Picks fade kit, destined to become a jumper (another Christmas present)

Yarn out 

Destashed

• 350 g Festive Cheer KAL prizes

Knitted

• 91 g for socks for Faye
• 30 g for Harry Potter jumpers
• 618 g for the bunny blanket
• 115 g for the stocking 

Total

Yarn in: 2170 g

Yarn out or used: 1204 g

Total: +966 g

Year to date

Yarn in: 29 127 g

Yarn out: 14 491 g

Yarn used: 7007 g

Total: +7629 g

I was really pleased with the projects I got finished in December, and relieved when Christmas arrived and I didn’t have to do any more gift knitting! I’m surprised at just how much yarn passed through my hands this year, and have been thinking about that over the first few weeks of the year - more on that soon.

Yarnometer: November 2018

I like knitting in November: the weather is colder, the evenings are longer, and knitting feels more necessary. With that in mind, here’s my Yarnometer post for November.

Projects finished

An *Elmer* cushion cover

Something I'm really excited about! The pattern is available in Knit Now issue 98.

Image copyright Practical Publishing

Charity socks for Marie Curie

These socks were donated to Marie Curie to be distributed to patients at their hospices over Christmas.

Beeswax hat

I had wanted to knit this hat for ages, and when I drew a particular someone for a Secret Santa I knew I hat to knit this hat for her.

The ins and outs of yarn

Yarn in

• 100g of sock yarn from Knit Crate
• 300g of sparkly Christmas yarn
• 100g of Stylecraft Head Over Heels sock yarn 
• 230g of yarn in a goodie bag from my local yarn shop (Ringarosie)
• 200g of sparkly worsted weight yarn from Knit Crate
• 200g of West Yorkshire Spinners Christmas yarn
• 100g of Regia Christmas sock yarn
• 100g of sparkly sock yarn from Knit Crate
• 200g of West Yorkshire Spinners sock yarn donated to me to make socks for charity

Yarn out 

Destashed

• 78g of festive sock yarn given to a friend
• 100g of sock yarn as a prize for the Marathon Sock KAL
• 382g spare yarn returned to a publisher
• 78g of sock yarn donated to a friend
• 200g sock yarn gifted as part of ‘Get your yarn wishes granted’
• 100g of sock yarn to my sister to knit her first pair of socks

Knitted

• 229g cushion cover
• 110g socks for Marie Curie
• 62g Beeswax Hat 

Total

Yarn in: 1530g

Yarn out or used: 1339g

Total: +191g

Year to date

Yarn in: 26 957g

Yarn out: 14 141g

Yarn used: 6153g

Total: +6663g

November was a month in which a surprisingly large amount of knitting got done. I figured out how to do intarsia with a baby on my knee (admittedly a baby that was not as wiggly as the one that is currently pulling my hair....), and donated lots of yarn to people who would use it faster than I could manage (the two lots of 78g of yarn both became socks by Christmas, which was lovely to see).

Yarnometer: October 2018

October feels like a very long time ago, and I was in the midsts of newborn joy/chaos so very little crafting got done. Here’s my Yarnometer log for October.

Projects finished

A rainbow baby blanket for a rainbow baby

I finished a single project in October, a blanket for my friend’s newborn. I used the Hydrangea stripe pattern from Attic24, and this project was perfect for working on with a tiny baby dozing on my knee.

The ins and outs of yarn

Yarn in

• 100g of cream yarn for the baby’s stocking
• 100g of burgundy yarn to make some Christmas ornaments
• 200g of Paintbox Metallic DK for Christmas decorations*
• 100g of self-striping yarn dyed in aid of Marie Curie
• 400g Debbie Bliss Piper DK for review*

Yarn out 

Destashed

• 300g of sock yarn for Marathon Sock KAL prizes
• 540g leftovers donated to the school craft box

Knitted

• 488g for the baby blanket

Total

Yarn in: 900g

Yarn out or used: 1328g

Total: +428g

Year to date

Yarn in: 25 427g

Yarn out: 13 203g

Yarn used: 5752g

Total: 6472g

A month in which only a little crafting got done, but I did manage to destash a few odds and ends, and my yarn purchases were somewhat considered (I’ve actually used three of the items as I type this in January). I’m a little alarmed at how large the yarn-in total for the year is though!

*Affiliate link; yarn supplied for review purposes

Yarnometer: September 2018

September was fairly quiet knitting-wise as I was having to juggle a new baby, but I did manage an impromptu trip to Yarndale.

Projects finished
A rainbow Baby Puerperium
I loved this project so much! Everything about it was a joy. I started it before our baby arrived, and knitted the sleeve and the neckband very, very slowly once she was here!

Socks for the Yarndale sock line
I technically missed the deadline to get these to Winwich Mum for the Yarndale Sock Line, but she kindly let me send them to her a few days late.

The ins and outs of yarn
Yarn in

• 400 g of yarn for a stocking for the new baby
• 250 g of yarn for a couple of pairs of Peeky Catsocks
• 200 g from my third Knit Crate,* plus an extra 300 g as I like the yarn so much
• 1000 g of Drops Karisma from Yarndale to make a long cardigan
• 120 g of mini skeins from River Knits at Yarndale to use in a Buccaneer Shawl
  

Yarn out
Knitted

• 65 g for the Baby Puerperium
• 81 g for the Yarndale socks

Total
Yarn in: 2270 g
Yarn out or used: 146 g
Total: 2142 g

Year to date
Yarn in: 24 527 g
Yarn out: 12 363 g
Yarn used: 5264 g
Total: 6900 g

* Affiliate link. You'll get $10 off your first crate, and I'll get $10 towards a future purchase. I am not associated with Knit Crate, but really like their products.

Yarnometer: August 2018

In August we greeted our beautiful new daughter. I did a bit of knitting, finsihed up one last commission and destashed a lot of yarn!

Projects finished
Wonder Woman wrap
I had no intention of finishing this in August. I'd cast it on as a relatively easy project I could work on with a new baby. But I found the project completely addictive and knitted and knitted until suddenly I was at the end. I only actually darned in the ends a couple of weeks ago, and it still needs blocking, but I'm really looking forward to wearing this over the coming months.

A toddler jumper
One final commission before I went on maternity leave.

Silver and lilac hat for the new baby
A last-minute baby knit before my daughter arrived. I knitted this in Paintbox Yarns Baby DK* and made this hat in a single evening.

Baby Puerperium
Once I'd knitted the hat I decided I had enough time to knit a matching cardigan, so whipped up a Baby Puerperium. I loved having the matching set ready for when our baby finally made an appearance!

The ins and outs of yarn
Yarn in

• 100 g of self-striping yarn from Buttoned up and Pinned Down with a 20 g contrast skein. This is going to make the most amazing socks!
• 800 g of yarn for a cushion cover
• 200 g of yarn in my first Knit Crate** subscription
• 200 g of yarn in my second Knit Crate subscription (which came free with the first subscription)

Yarn out
Destashed

• 2421 g to eBay. Yarn that I wasn't going to use and leftovers from other projects
• 920 g of yarn to my Mum
• 1100 g of odd balls to Knit for Peace
• 250 g of yarn returned as I'd ordered too much for a project
• 220 g of leftovers sent to the recipient of a jumper

Knitted

• 161 g: Wonder Woman wrap
• 192 g: Tiger jumper
• 12 g: Silver and lilac hat
• 52 g: Baby Puerperium

Total
Yarn in: 1320 g
Yarn out or used: 5328 g
Total: -4008 g

Year to date
Yarn in: 22 257 g
Yarn out: 12 363 g
Yarn used: 5118 g
Total: 4776 g

A frankly astonishing amount of yarn went out this month. Apparently I was in full nesting mode!

* Affiliate link.

** Affiliate link. You'll get $10 off your first crate, and I'll get $10 towards a future purchase. I am not associated with Knit Crate, but really like their products.

Yarnometer: June 2018

We're halfway through the year already! And there might have been quite a lot of yarn coming in and out of my stash...

Projects finished

A hat and mitt set for a magazine
I am really excited to share these with you in the near future, but unfortunately they're top secret at the minute.

An adult-sized jumper
And I'm even more excited about this one. Keep your eyes peeled for something appearing around Christmas...

Hats for twins
I got to meet my shiny new twin nieces in June and they are tiny. So tiny in fact that my sister requested smaller hats for them. I made this cute little pair, which might have gone to live on their teddies!

Socks for a friend
The Marathon sock KAL is still going in my Ravelry group, and this is this month's contribution. I finished the first sock in four days, the second took three and a half weeks (at least in part because I managed to burn my finger, which took a few weeks to heal).

The ins and outs of yarn

Yarn in

• 150g of yarn for the baby hats
• 300g of sock yarn from Love Knitting, at least 200g of that is for pattern samples, the other one is one I could not resist!
• 1300g of yarn for a festive commission
• 100g of self-striping sock yarn a friend was destashing
  
• 200g of sock yarn from a visit to Ringarosie
• 200g of beautiful sock yarn that came in a Peacock-themed box from Unbelievawool

Self-striping goodness

Peacock yarn from Unbelievawool

Assorted sock yarns. I couldn't say no to the stripey one!

Yarn out

Destashed

• Another 940g went to new homes via eBay
• 116g of leftovers from the Dance on the Beach CAL went to charity
• 526g of leftovers were returned to a publisher once I'd finished a commission
• 100g was sent out as a prize for the Marathon sock KAL 

Knitted

• 129g for a hat
• 54g for a pair of mitts
• 403g for an adult-sized jumper
• 26g for the hats for the twins
• 56g for the socks
  

Total

Yarn in: 2250g
Yarn out or used: 2350g
Total: –100g - yes, that's right, more yarn left the house than arrived!

Year to date (halfway through the year!)
Yarn in: 18667g
Yarn out: 6643g
Yarn used: 4384g
Total: 7640g

A much better month in terms of yarn leaving rather than entering the house. I'm hoping to have lots of FOs to show off in next month's Yarnometer, but they'll all be tiny as it's been way too hot so far in July and the concept of knitting anything heavier than socks is a bit alien... I have quite a lot of work to do if I want to get to zero by the end of the year (hint, it's not happening!).

Yarnometer: May 2018

April was excellent for finishing things, but also for accumulating yarn! How did I fair in May?

Projects finished

Starlight Express socks
A pair of socks I'd been working on intermittently for a few months. I was so pleased to get these off the needles! You can read more about them here.

Festive socks
I'd say that these had been on the needles since November, but that would be a lie: I finished the first sock in December, then abandoned it in a project bag! It felt quite good to get the second sock knitted. You can read all about them here.

Socks for my husband
I had decided that I wanted to make my husband some socks for his birthday, and while I didn't have the whole pair done before the big day, I did present him with one, and managed to get the rest of the pair done by the end of the month. As these socks are giant I was really pleased to get them knitted within a calendar month! Their FO Friday post will be coming this Friday.

Two commissions
I can't share these with you yet, but in May I got two magazine commissions off the needles. Hopefully I'll be able to share them with you soon!

The ins and outs of yarn

Yarn in

• 250g super chunky weight yarn from Love Knitting for review purposes (50g of this is a correction from last month - it hadn't occurred to me that the balls were 100g not 50g)
• 650g of yarn for a children's jumper
• 2200g of yarn for an adult size jumper commission (yes, that really is happening)!
• 200g of beautiful yarn from Oh, for Hooks Sake! This yarn is so cheerful. I suspect it will become socks
• A 200g yarn box from Unbelievawool; the theme was unicorns and is so pretty!
• A 100g ball of self-striping birthday cake yarn from Strawberry Fields Yarn
• A 550g assortment of yarn from Wool Warehouse (Drops had a sale on): aran weight yarn for a Christmas stocking, 100g of yarn for socks, and a selection of aran weight yarn for swatching for a jumper
• 1000g of yarn for this amazing jumper, which I can't wait to get on the needles

Birthday cake yarn

Unicorn yarn

Yarn out

Destashed

• 1800g went to new homes via eBay

Knitted

• 76g for the Starlight Express socks
• 173g for a cowl for a magazine
• 80g for the festive socks
• 115g for socks for my husband
• 131g for a children's jumper

Total

Yarn in: 4150g
Yarn out or used: 2375g
Total: 1775g

Year to date (end of quarter one)
Yarn in: 16417g (!)
Yarn out: 4961g
Yarn used: 3716g
Total: 7740g

I have no idea quite how so much yarn came in over the course of May; quite a large amount was for commissions, and those are slowing down while I prepare for our new baby to arrive. I already know that June looks a bit better, so fingers crossed I don't suddenly buy loads in the final ten days!

The Yarnometer: April 2018

March wasn't the best for finishing things, or for not buying yarn.  So what did April bring?

Well, first up, I had a birthday, and birthdays always equate to yarn (or they do here anyway!), so there might be slightly more yarn than you would otherwise guess (unless you've already established that I do acquire quite a lot of yarn, which you probably have...).

Projects finished

April was an excellent month for getting things off the needles, with seven projects completed!

A baby blanket for good friends
A friend and her husband are currently expecting their first baby, so I made them a gorgeous rainbow baby blanket. I loved this project and can't wait to gift it in a couple of months. The FO post will have to wait until it's been gifted, but until then, here's a sneak peak, and you can find out more by looking at the project page.

Witches Brew socks
My son had been requesting socks for a while, so I knitted him a pair at the start of the month. You can read all about them here.

Two baby cardigans
The babies really do keep on coming at the minute, so I whipped up a couple of Entrechat cardigans. This is one of my favourite patterns for baby girls, and they only take a few hours to knit. There will be a FO post in time, but for now, here they are together. I'm hoping to make a third (two-colour version) from the leftovers.

Blanket for a magazine
A lovely quick project that I'm looking forward to sharing in a month or two...

Socks for a magazine
I haven't designed any socks in a bit, and these were a lovely bit of variety. They'll be coming soon.

A children's jumper
You'll have to wait until the autumn for me to share this one with you, but I'm sure you'll all love it!

The ins and outs of yarn

Yarn in

This is quite a large section this month. And quite large numbers. I'm pretty certain May will be better...

• 2600g (!) for a Mr Men and Little Miss themed blanket that was published in Crochet Now. I could absolutely not resist this, and my siblings kindly obliged with the yarn as a birthday present!
• 100 g of Suffragette sock yarn. This was a birthday present for me as it's in green and purple, which are my favourite colours. Maybe I can cast them on for Wimbledon (the colours are a perfect match!)
• 200 g of yarn for socks for my husband. He has been waiting patiently for socks for ages and I think he'll like good old Opal over something softer. His socks take two balls of yarn, so stash-diving was a bit trickier for these
• 300 g of neutral Stylecraft Special DK* to go with the leftovers from the baby blanket I finished this month. I'll be making, guess what? Another baby blanket!
• 800 g of assorted yarn that I won in a competition. I fished out the bits I want and will eBay the rest
• 20 g mini skein that I got for my birthday. It's the perfect shade to go with the leftovers from the Witches Brew socks
• 200 g of yarn for the Entrechat baby cardigans
• 100 g of yarn for a baby cardigan. The baby will be arriving in the summer, so I thought I'd try a cotton-acrylic blend*
• 800g of yarn for the Durumi sweater. Another birthday present; I can't wait to cast this on. I went for Drops Cotton Merino as it was on offer and comes in fab colours
• 50 g sample of super chunky yarn* from Love Knitting for review purposes

Yarn out

Destashed

• 337 g of leftovers returned to a publisher
• 350 g of leftovers to Knit for Peace

Knitted

• 284 g for the magazine blanket
• 480 g for the baby blanket
• 50 g for the Witches Brew socks
• 163 g for the children's jumper
• 67 g for the magazine socks
• 60 g for Entrechat 1
• 60 g for Entrechat 2

So many FOs this month. So satisfying!

Total

Yarn in: 5170 g
Yarn out or used: 1851 g
Total: 3319 g

Fortunately May is all about finishing things, and there will be a little bit of eBaying to move on a few things that aren't going to get used.

Year to date (end of quarter one)
Yarn in: 12267 g
Yarn out: 3161 g
Yarn used: 3141 g
Total: 5965 g

*Affiliate link.

The Yarnometer: March 2018

I have precisely no idea how we are already a quarter of the way through 2018, but somehow it's already time for my monthly look at the ins and outs of my stash.

I had hoped that March would be a little more restrained than February, so let's see how that went...

Projects finished

Ginger the bunny
A rather cute cuddly toy for my daughter, I really enjoyed knitting this, and you can read all about it here.

#USS strike hat
A special request from my brother, and one I was glad to knit, even if it was a bit of a pain at times. A full blog post about it is up now.

Cardigan for a magazine

One I can't share with you at the minute (which is a pity as it's super cute), but I'll be sure to show it to you later in the year.

The ins and outs of yarn

Yarn in

100 g for the #USS strike hat (not that I ended up using it)
320 g of purchases at EYF (which I'll tell you about next week)
100 g Stylecraft Special Dk so I can finish a baby blanket
800 g Aire Valley Aran to finish another project I'm working on
1000 g (yes, 1 kg!) for upcoming projects for Knit Now magazine
120 g Daffodil self-striping yarn from someone else's destash that I couldn't resist

Yarn out

Destashed

98 g of cardigan leftovers passed on to my mum
289 g of crochet cloud blanket leftovers passed on to my mum
244 g of generic oddments for my mum (she likes to knit blankets and ran out of yarn when she came to visit last at the end of March)

Knitted

21 g for Flora the Bunny
133 g for the sample cardigan
80 g for the #USS strike hat

Total

Yarn in: 2440 g
Yarn out or used: 865 g
Total: 1575 g

Well that wasn't the success I was aiming for. Not helped by the projects I finished being small ones! There should be at least two blankets being finished in April, which might counterbalance it a bit, but it's also my birthday month, so I fully expect a few additions to sneak in...

Year to date (end of quarter one)
Yarn in: 7097 g
Yarn out: 2474 g
Yarn used: 1977 g
Total: 2646 g

The Yarnometer: February 2018

Here's my monthly look at what yarn has gone in and out of my stash, and all of February's finished objects.

Projects finished

Whale hoodie

A cute little hoodie for a friend's new baby. I really enjoyed knitting this, even if I did go wrong a couple of times! You can read all about it here.

Mind the Gap socks

These were cast on as part of Little Bobbins' Christmas Eve cast on last year, and one evening this month I decided to whizz through those last few rows. I love the colours in these socks. You can read more about them here.

Something crocheted...

Can you guess what it might be?

I mentioned in one of my earlier blog posts that I had been working on something crocheted, and it is done! All I can tell you at the minute is that it is a blanket. But all will be revealed before the end of March, so keep your eyes peeled...*

The ins and outs of yarn

Yarn in

Woah! Quite a lot of yarn!

100 g sock weight yarn for a design

250 g DK weight yarn for a design
32 g magazine yarn for a cute bunny (currently in progress)
300 g samples of Paintbox Yarns Wool Mix Aran**
900 g DK weight yarn for a crochet baby blanket for a friend's new baby***
1125 g chunky weight yarn for a knitted blanket for a family member's new baby***

Yarn out

Destashed

343g to my friend Jo

Knitted

123 g for the Whale hoodie

77 g for the Mind the Gap socks

747 g for the crochet blanket

Total

Yarn in: 3357 g (! That's a lot of yarn!!!)
Yarn out or used: 1290 g
Total: +2067 g

Nothing like as good as last month. And I have lots of yarn coming in for comissions this month. Hopefully I'll manage not to buy any yarn in March!

Year to date
Yarn in: 4657 g
Yarn out: 1843 g
Yarn used: 1743 g
Total: +1071 g

*People on my mailing list always get an exclusive launch discount for new patterns, and a discount code for 10% off all patterns in my Ravelry store, all year round. If you want to find out more, why not sign up to my newsletter?
**Provided for review purposes.
***Both of these do break my 'knitting only from stash for personal projects' plan. But sometimes the perfect yarn is needed for the perfect project!