Stash Busters!

We all have them. Small little balls of left over yarn stuffed into ziplock bags or hidden amongst your yarn stash. Over time these small hidden and often forgotten little gems can add up! What’s a yarn junkie to

do?!

Personally, I love to turn these little bits of yarn into granny squares. That’s right, the humble granny square.

Whether you choose the classic style, the Fuller pinwheel, or maybe one with a flower or little heart in the centre, the granny square is a great way to bust ones stash of odds and sods!

I love granny squares because they are east to do, and a quick little side project for those in between moments when your large project has become a bit repetitive! Simple to master, they are a great little project for road trips or flights and quickly add up to a blanket in no time!

Or, if you are like my best friend, you can granny square with a definite plan! One of my favourite creations of hers is this amazing Ba-Bomb blanket from Super Mario!

How do you like to bust your stash of little odds and ends from projects gone by? Let me know in the comments below!

On My Needles!!

It’s vacation week and I have plenty of time to sit back with my needles and some yummy yarns and get some things done! I always seem to have a few things on the go at once and let’s be real here, it’s more than likely the same for you! So while I work away and a baby blanket for my little sister I am also working on a Lennie Hat, and a triangle shawl for myself!

First up is the blanket! I found this super simple and lovely blanket on Ravelry! The pattern is Knit Baby Blanket Color Points and is written by Aii. I love this for purchase pattern and it is so simple that a beginner could easily pull it off. What I love most about this pattern? It comes in different sizes and gives detailed yardage for the sizes! It’s recommended as a dk or lightweight yarn project but with the different sizes you can get away with pretty much whatever yarn you please! I’m currently whipping this up in Bernat Softee Baby Yarn in their lovely soft grey colour! I have about 3 inches left to go and I always find with a project this size the last push to the end the hardest, but, I better get a move on because little Marshall will be here around August 20th!

Next up, the Sandbar Shawl! I found this lovely free pattern over at www.thebluebrick.ca! I love this site! If you haven’t been I highly recommend popping in to check it out! This site has absolutely beautiful hand dyed indie yarns for sale and let me just say they are worth ever single penny! Also this lovely artisan is into all sorts of colourful creative shenanigans, from resin jewelry that matches her yarn colour ways to pottery to silk scarfs! She is based in Ontario, Canada and all of her stock is priced in Canadian dollars. Go check out Shireen and all her lovely things, and give her a follow on facebook and instagram! You’ll never be bored with her posts and I guarantee you’ll be inspired by all of her beautiful work and photos!

Last, but not least, on my needles is the Lennie hat! I’m currently trying to configure this pattern so that you can use more than just a dk yarn and hope to have it up for sale in my store before fall! I’ve written this pattern because I wanted a simple hat pattern in a dk weight yarn for a long time that I could just mindlessly knit without having to worry about losing my spot in the pattern if I get sidetracked by other yarny things! I’ve named it after my knitting coach who was kind enough to test my pattern for me and help me get the instructions down correctly. Lennie is a prolific knitter who has been working her needles for more than 50 years and I am always in awe of how her needles just fly! Look for this pattern coming soon in my Ravelry shop and here as well!

What are you currently working on? Leave a message in the comments below and let me know!

Happy Stitching!

A Little About Me

Hi there! I'm currently just starting this little page, so please forgive any unfinished pages! (I'm looking' at you gallery) In the coming weeks I will be uploading photo's to my gallery and getting some blogging in!

Now that I have my apologies for the current construction that is occurring on this site out of the way, let me tell you a bit about myself and why I've started this blog!

My name is Nikky, and I love yarn. Seriously. Some people might call it an addiction but I just call it my yarn stash. Bless my husband for every eye roll he manages to suppress each time I come home from the craft store. He just knows i won't walk out with nothing! I've crocheted since I was 21, and I'm currently learning how to knit! I love to craft things in general, but yarn has always been a long standing staple in my crafting adventures. I've made soap, scrubs and candles. I've crocheted many a hat and cowl. I've even made my own stitch markers for both crochet and knitting. (which I will be putting into my online shop once I figure that out lol)

That all being said, I've created this blog to share my love of yarn, and all things squishy and lovely you can make with it! I'll be sharing my favourite yarns, tutorials, and some free patterns I have written. I love to share what I know about my obsession, so if you have a question I'd love to help! I have a chat set up here where you can ask your questions, or you can just ask away in the comments to any post! You can also find me on Instagram under @theknitpurlgirl where you can see all the yarn related shenanigans I get myself into!

adventures in early morning cottage knitting