Nov 29 2007
Noro-vember: Cutting it Close
I knew I would finish my Aftur pullover on my drive to Alabama, so right before I left the house, I grabbed a ball of yarn and some needles for a quickie scarf project. I had planned to participate more fully in Kathy’s second Noro-vember knitalong (I made Kolsva last year…) this month, but time just got away. With the knitalong in mind, I grabbed a ball of Noro Silk Mountain that I got at the stash swap earlier this year. Nice colors and pretty boucle texture. I figured I would go for something along the lines of the Noro Transitions cowl I made a few years back with the one skein.
After finishing my pullover, and feeling the need to work on something else, I pulled out my needles and this lovely yarn, and cast on a few dozen stitches.
Fifty minutes later, I had this:
Yarn: Noro Silk Mountain #7
Pattern: Circular knit, 45 stitch cast on
Needles: Size 10.5 DPN
[Another view of cowl]
My sister Mimi was the recipient (and model) of the little cowl scarf. It had purple in it, which is her favorite color, so it seemed natural to just give it to her after I knit it up. Plus, it looks quite nice on her, doesn’t it? Thanks for hosting the knitalong for another year, Kathy. My little cowl came in just under the wire!
I have so many random little skeins of yarn in my stash - both purchased and swapped - I should be making a lot more little things like this… I tend to make scarves and hats with these random skeins of yarn, but I also want to try a larger scale project like a blanket.
Do you have a “go-to” pattern for stashbusting?
I’m starting a little hat tonight in Silk Garden. Who knows? Possibly I’ll finish it by midnight tomorrow and be a NoroVember member, too! The cowl looks really cute.
I love quick projects, and Noro seems like such a good way to add a little interest to something simple. Mimi does look great in that cowl!
My go to projects have generally been hats, but lately mitts and mittens seem more useful, quicker, and more versatile…
I stopped buying big bunches of yarn when I realized that my inner knitter has a really short attention span. Now I buy a scarf or shawl worth of yarn, not the bags of yarn that a sweater takes. This makes stash busting a lot easier. I think the Yarn Harlot’s one-pattern-row scarf is going to be my scarf stash buster.
For those bags of yarn I used to buy, I going to knit ripple afghans (I just got that 200 ripple-stitch afghans book) with the fuzzy warm yarn, but I don’t know what I’m going to do with the DK mercerized cotton stuff. I’m hoping one of your commenters will help me out, too.
Oh, it’s cute! It looks really good and cozy as well on her. I’m cutting Norovember close too…my plan is to finish seaming and edging my Lizard Ridge Afghan. I got a good chunk done this evening but I hope to finish it all tomorrow! Phew. I’m afraid I’m a boring hats, scarves, and mittens girl when it comes to stash busting, but I like the occasional creative project like a felted bag, grocery tote, cat bed, or christmas ornament for stashbusting too.
Scarves are definitely my stashbusting standby. But just last night I started a cowl for my MIL because I needed a fast gift.
Your Norovember cowl is beautiful!
I quite like Kirsti’s Fidge (http://blog.designedlykristi.com/?p=547) and am trying to figure out how to make one as it looks like a perfect one skein project.
Mimi now has a lovely way to keep her neck warm for winter. What a sweet sister she has! XXOO
Cute! I rather like the Silk Mountain and hope I have time to start a pair of mittens trimmed in it before the end of the year. Apparently I won’t get to it for Norovember.
Nice! I recently made a cowl and like it a lot. It is a nice alternative to a scarf - doesn’t bulk up under a coat too much.
I don’t do enough stashbusting - but hats and scarves are a great way to get rid of those smaller balls.
very pretty - and super functional! I need to do more hats and mitts - I have tons of single skeins!
Great question! My stash busting project: mittens!
at first glance, i thought that was you
the cowl is a great stashbusting idea!
The cowl is beautiful. I might try to some stashbusting for my bus trip this afternoon. This looks like a good project for that. The cowl looks great on your sister, very nice picture of her.
I’m all about the hats when it comes to stashbusting. Plus, my husband shaves his head so I always have a happy recipient!
Pretty yarn and the finished project looks lovely on Mimi. I hope she gets some good use out of it!
I don’t really have a go-to stashbusting project because I there are so many patterns that I’m interested in knitting! I just love finding something in the stash that I know can fit a lovely design.
Hats! Hatshatshatshatshats. Lots of hats. Cabled hats, pom pomed hats, mosaic hats, new hats old hats ribbed hats bold hats warm hats cold hats.
Hats hats hats. Just calle ms Seussinok… heh.
And the odd scarf or worsted weight sock.
I prefer scarves too for the hand-dyed skeins I’m drawn to. That way, you can use up all the yarn in a ball — keep going until you’re done.
What a nice gift for your sister!
Actually, I just found a “go-to” pattern for stashbusting WW and DK yarn…the 3AM Cable Hat. I love knitting hats for the LYS ongoing charity collection, and it has enough cables to keep it interesting. So it’s my new go-to pattern.