Project #2: Kraft Love Bunting

Well, I didn't plan on this being a blog all about bunting but I accidentally fell in love with making it after doing Project #1. I didn't really want to knit another set because it was pretty time consuming for such small triangles, and I started to wonder whether crocheting would be quicker and easier.

I don't really crochet much - I learned how to make one of Attic24's blankets thanks to Lucy's incredibly helpful photo tutorials, but I'm not especially confident when it comes to wielding my hook. I have some really nice KnitPro Symfonie crochet hooks, though, and I really should use them more.

It turns out that crocheting bunting is a lot faster than knitting it, and I love the pleasing rhythm of crochet once you get past the often confusing chain row. The pattern I chose was Simple Crochet Bunting by Pink Milk (the 'simple' bit appealed to me) and it produces the nicest bunting with a simple strip of colour running along the top.

My colours for this were inspired by the current trend for 'kraft' or natural/rustic weddings which feature lots of hessian, chalk, kraft brown paper and twine. I work in a craft shop where we sell lots of wedding decorations and it is so popular. I like it, probably not enough to have it be my wedding's colour scheme but it's nice to see something different to the usual ivory.

The yarn I used here was Hayfield Bonus DK. This is cheap and cheerful yarn that I have SO much of. As I just mentioned, I work in a craft shop, and every year they have a 50% discount day. Last year I spent about £70 on yarn, most of it Bonus DK (you can probably blame my stash problem on this 50% discount day) and while most of it is being used up in two blankets, I have a few colours left over and this beige-y brown was one of them. And everyone has loads of white in their stash 'just in case', right?!

I know everyone loves Stylecraft Special DK as a cheap option but I'm a Bonus DK kinda girl.

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I actually blocked this! I very rarely bother, but oh what a difference blocking makes, even to cheapo acrylic yarn like Bonus DK. I used to have blocking mats but I have no idea where they are (the joys of moving house) so for this I used a small, thin piece of foam bought from Hobbycraft for 50p. 

I pinned the bunting flag by flag (using KnitPro T-pins) and draped over a damp, thin tea towel. Then I ironed over it briefly and used the steam setting randomly. Yep, I have such a good method going on here. It works brilliantly, though, and now instead of curling up it drapes nicely and the stitches have opened up wonderfully.

Project #1: Blue Frost Bunting

One of the first things I thought of making when I decided that I really needed to work on reducing my yarn stash was bunting. It's an easy, quick project that is perfect for using up little bits of yarn and it's something that forgives uneven gauge, different yarn weights and those times when you think knitting while watching TV is a good idea.

The pattern I used is called Bunting Fit For A Queen (Ravelry link) and it's a simple pattern that's easy to memorise and doesn't involve any complicated stitches. It still looks impressive though, as the holes for threading twine or ribbon through are knitted in.

The yarn I used for this was a pack of 6 aran weight yarns which came free with a knitting magazine. I'm sure you were supposed to knit something they gave you the pattern for, but obviously that never happened and the pack was still languishing in my stash over a year later.

I decided to use this yarn because of the colours, it's a set of 6 blues and greens that work together really well. It's horrible yarn though, very scratchy and full of knots and joins which made it frustrating to work with.

To join the bunting, I threaded through some thick blue rope I bought at Hobbycraft (where it's sold by the metre for something like 70p) and then I hung it from some conveniently placed hooks in my lounge which were there when we moved in. Maybe the previous tenants were bunting fans too?!

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Look how tiny and cute!

This week we welcomed our new kitten, Flash! He is the tiniest, cutest little thing ever but oh god, it has been EXHAUSTING looking after him and trying to appease our other cat, Floppy.

It's very, very difficult trying to introduce a new cat to another cat's territory and the hissing and growling has been awful to hear, especially when I just want them to be bestest friends NOW. But we're making good progress and I'm confident that eventually Floppy will at least tolerate Flash...

Hello!

Gorgeous rainbow yarn from allaboutyarn.com

I love yarn. If you're a knitter or a crocheter, you'll probably share my enthusiasm for a perfectly wound cake, a hank that hasn't yet been touched, for hand dyed and super soft materials just crying out to become a scarf or shawl.

I even love cheap acrylic yarn which is £1 a ball, crazy rainbow coloured bamboo, impossible to work with bright pink eyelash yarn...you name it, I love it. And I probably own it too.

I didn't really realise just how much yarn I own until I moved house a couple of months ago. I have LOADS and I'm struggling to store it in a 5 drawer tower plus two big Really Useful Boxes (RUBs are, by the way, the shit) so I've decided that I need to do something. I need to actually use all of this yarn - it's a revolutionary idea, I know!

So I have set up this blog as a way of documenting my stash busting projects. I'm thinking bunting, hats, dishcloths, mug cosies, Christmas decorations, simple cowls, maybe even some socks. Stay tuned!