Crochet Scrap Project - Mystery no more?

Last Wednesday, I spoke a little about this seemingly never-ending WIP.  Basically, I had leftovers of Araucania Itata Multy in five different colorways and thought it was a great opportunity to do something special with those matching scraps.

I bought five different skeins of this in a closeout sale at Webs about five years ago, when I just started getting seriously addicted to knitting.  I loved the sheen of the yarn and the gorgeous colorways.  I'm not crazy about Araucania as a yarn producer, largely because all the other experiences I've had with their yarns have been very disappointing.  But I've loved every chance I've had to work with Itata Multy, which I talk about more in this past post --> Speaking of Yarn - Araucania Itata Multy

So, for about a year I've been slowly crocheting my scrap skeins into little granny circles.  Recently I came to the end of the scraps and decided it was finally time to work these into something interesting.

Both Sarah (Sezza Knits) and Lisa (Wickedly Artsy) cleverly recommended that I make these into a cushion cover.  Every day, I tackled a row, adding the edges...

And now I'm learning how to join granny squares, which is a very satisfying process.

Now, I just have to sort out the sewing aspect of this project, which will probably require a trip to the fabric store! 

Work-In-Progress Wednesday - #17

Thank you all for your warm welcome back into the blogging world, I'm so excited to be joining you all again!

I have an embarrassingly long backlog of WIPs right now, but we've all been there, right?  So, I'll show you the three that I'm putting real time into right now.

knitting

Narragansett/ This sweater was a recent travel project, all I have to do after that trip is the other sleeve.  The yarn is a mystery wool that my mother uncovered recently on one of her adventures, I'll tell you that story in the near future.

Swirling Gauntlets/ I just needed more cables in my life, we all know that feeling right?  Also, this is some more super special yarn gifted to me by my best friend, Rebecca.

Rowan Felted Tweed dk

crochet

Sock Scrap Blanket/ I've been slowly working on this for about a year, it all started with me having a whole bunch of sock yarn scraps of the same yarn and wanting to do, something, anything, with them.  I'm still not sure what I'll end up stitching these into, any ideas?

Araucania Itata Multy

Anyone else suffering from an intense desire to knit all the sweaters?

Wholehearted Shawl

I finished my Wholehearted Shawl this weekend, which makes me a little sad.  I really enjoyed working on this project and I guess that part of me wanted for it to go on forever.  Now I understand why so many people cast on another for Evelyn's KAL (she just finished hers too, take a look!), it is such a fun pattern and knits up really quickly.

I could sing my praises for Araucania Itata Multy all day if you let me, the range of amazing colors this yarn comes in is simply fantastic and it makes great socks.  I chose these two colors because they were the one's in my stash and because frankly, I love the contrast between the pinks and oranges and the charcoal gray.

As a proud red-headed individual (technically I'm a daywalker, not a ginger, according to South Park standards), I think it looks great with my hair color.  I also like to wear shawls as scarves, I think they are more functional that way.

Also in the background of this photo note my TV and Xbox hidden under a blanket of dust and scattered papers from my frantic attempts at studying for one of the most difficult final exams I have ever had.  Needless to say, this semester cannot end fast enough.

Anyways, I've really enjoyed this project and I would highly recommend the Wholehearted pattern although there are a few mistakes in there that might confuse someone who has never knitted a shawl before.  The edging was probably the best part, I definitely want to use that style of bind off again in the future.

Many other talented people knitted this pattern alongside me in this KAL and I would recommend you take a look on the pattern page, what a collection of beautiful shawls!

Wholehearted Shawl KAL

The wonderful Evelyn of Project: Stash recently started a KAL featuring the Wholehearted Shawl pattern.  The KAL ends at the end of May, and until then the proceeds from the pattern sales will be donated to the author's daughter who is rebuilding after a horrible house fire.  

Evelyn kindly donated the pattern to me and I had the perfect yarn for it, so of course I had to join my first ever KAL.  It is really neat to think that there are a bunch of other knitters out there working on the same project! 

This is a very simple, but a seriously fun pattern to knit.  It is perfect for me right now because I can knit it without having to really pay attention.  I also think that I will very likely wear it frequently (well, when it gets cool outside again...)

I'm also really enjoying working with the yarn, Araucania Itata Multy, which I have raved about extensively in the past.  Lucky me having two colors that work so well together stashed away!

If you are looking for a quick, fun project, I would highly recommend this pattern, then you could also join me for the KAL!

I'm making great progress on this and should be able to easily make the deadline if I don't get too sidetracked in the meantime. 

Have you ever knitted with a rainbow? - Speaking of Yarn: Araucania Itata Multy

Me neither, but this yarn is about as close as I will ever get.

This is a yarn from a company that I personally don't like because of their quality issues, but this one is pretty much their masterpiece.

Itata Multy by Araucania in colorway 1010.
Fingering weight
430 yards, 100 grams.
70% Wool, 15% Bamboo, 15% Silk


I bought this yarn a few years ago.  I was drawn to it initially because of the colorways (I ended up with six different skeins) and because Webs was having a super sale on it.  This is actually my third pair of socks with this yarn and each time I have been impressed by the vibrant colors and how they added to the beauty of the end product.

The yarn is fairly stretchy and does not have the dye colorfastness problems (dye coming off on every surface it touches) that I have found in other Araucania products I have tried in the past.  The resulting socks are pretty comfy, although they make a better spring/summer sock because of the fiber content.  I must agree that the resulting fabric is a little scratchy as many Ravelers have mentioned, although I did not have the splitting problems that other people have complained about.

For more specifics on the pattern used for these socks please see the project page.

So, overall I would say that this yarn has the types of colors that I adore without the sorts of problems  one sees from Noro.  I have made some of my most beautiful socks with this lovely yarn.