TTC Knitalong Challenge Update: Week 1

So, my challenge so far has been going pretty well! I knit all 4 balls of Aquarella (from last year's KAL, bottom left corner) into a super simple and ridiculously cozy cushion cover to replace a terribly pilled one for a cushion form I already had. I happened to have 6 perfect buttons in my stash to finish this off with, and I'm snuggled up to the results as I type this!

I think this yarn looks best in just plain stockinette - the thick/thin texture plus the variegated colourway make it interesting enough all on its own.
I didn't spend too long working on this (giant needles! super chunky yarn!) but I did knit about half of up into an oversized cowl before deciding it really wanted to be a cushion instead and frogged it. So that uses up 4 skeins of yarn out of the total of about 32 skeins I have to work with for this challenge.


These mittens are so cute and fun to knit, and they knit up very quickly, considering how detailed they are. Mittens are the perfect stranded colourwork project!
This mitten only weighs about 40 grams. So technically, the finished pair will only consume about 1.6 skeins of yarn. I'm a bit torn about whether to consider this the full 3 balls (since I'll have completed the project I intended to use a 3 of them for) or try to really use them all up completely and find another project to use the remaining 1.4 balls somehow. Perhaps I'll compromise and call it 2 balls used and put the rest of the leftovers on hold for a future project.

So after 1 week of this challenge, I have knit up 5 of the 32 challenge skeins. That represents 2.5 new balls of yarn at the TTC Knitalong in July, so yay!

I've also cast on for my new Tattoo Kimono, which will certainly eat up the full 2 skeins of Fleece Artist Margaree I'm using. Should be a fairly quick knit again, thanks to the bulky yarn and 6mm needles I'm working with.

Completely unrelated: this video is crazy. It just keeps doing more things!

My 2010 TTC Knitalong Challenge

We're back! The TTC Knitalong will take place on Saturday, July 10th. The volunteers all met a few weeks to iron out the details and there are a few exciting new changes so stay tuned for updates. You can get those details either on the official blog or at the TTC Knitalong Ravelry group.

So in preparation for this year's KAL, I of course looked back at previous knitalongs... which also meant looking at the yarns I bought on those crawls as well! I couldn't find the details of what exactly I bought in October 2006 or June 2007, but I was able to dig up these fine yarn purchases from June 2009:

1. Americo Cotton, 2. Socks That Rock Mediumweight, 3. Romni Pure Silk, 4. Vicuna, 5. Alpaca BabyTwist, 6. Malabrigo Laceweight, 7. Malabrigo Aquarella, 8. Fleece Artist Nova Sock, 9. FibraNatura Mermaid

Which is all fine and well -- except that I've only knit with one of these yarns since then (the mediumweight Socks that Rock has become an adorable baby sweater and a pair of almost complete lace mittens). Which is just sad, and makes me think my *actual* hobby is yarn-shopping and not knitting, since I apparently do more shopping than knitting with the results!

On top of it all, I just went a little crazy at the DKC Knitter's Frolic this past weekend:


1. Shelridge Farms Fingering Weight White, 2. Shelridge Farms Fingering Lipstick, 3. Shelridge Farms Fingering Weight Black, 4. Van Der Rock Tartrazine, 5. Solid Chestnut Jumbo Ballwinder, 6. Van Der Rock Neon, 7. Winky, 8. Indigo Dragonfly MCN "Angst for the Memories", 9. Fleece Artist Margaree

So my first thought was that I should try to knit up all the yarns that I bought at the frolic before the TTC Knitalong in July, which is almost possible in the 8.5 weeks that remain between now and then. This is if I give up all other pastimes, work zero overtime and exclude the lifetime supply of carry-along sparkle from this challenge. I've already started a project using 3 of these yarns (a pair of black/white/hot pink Paradoxical Mittens!) and have plans for all but one of these yarns: the gorgeous and bright Van der Rock sock yarns will become a pair of Glenna's Neptune High socks, the Fleece Artist Margaree will be yet another Tattoo-less Kimono to replace my lost beloved original, so the only decision to make is about what to use Kim's incredible "Angst for the Memories" yarn to make.

But then I started thinking about all the unknit yarns I bought at last year's TTC Knitalong... and I'm ashamed to admit that I only have a plan for one more of those yarns (a plain stockinette wrap out of the Americo cotton that will probably be one of those projects that spans years).

So after all that rambling, here is my challenge. Between now and July 9th:

1. I will knit only from these two groups of yarns.
2. I will not buy any more yarns.
   
3. I will complete at least one entire project from each group.
   
4. And on the day of the TTC Knitalong, I will buy no more than 1 ball of yarn for every 2 balls that I knit up during this challenge!