OMG! I’M SWIMMING IN YARN……

I’ve just learned that my beloved mother in law is coming to stay for several months. Have to make room for her. Seriously. What to do with all the yarn/books/hooks/magazines/print outs/etc in the ‘yarn room’ that will be her bedroom? I’ve spent the past TWO days – no kidding, hours and hours – organizing, boxing, winding, cutting, sorting, etc this mess.

Does it help to know that I have ADD? Does it help to know that I’m a rotten housekeeper? Does it help to know that I’ve been working way more hours lately than my supposedly part time job usually calls for? Does it help to know that much of the stuff in this room was given to me?

No! None of that knowledge is either an excuse or a solution to this mess. So far, I’ve sorted and boxed many skeins of yarn, way too many computer print outs of patterns, and an astonishing number of UFO’s that have simply been abandoned.

The ADD part for an adult who is supposed to be the main housekeeper is this: If I can’t see it, I don’t know I own it! Well, I know in a vague way that I own lots of yarn, patterns, hooks, etc. And, I may recall in a more specific way that I have lots of red and black RH yarn. But, for the life of me, I cannot tell you -even having recently culled through this mess – if I have enough of anything to crochet a sweater or if I have a G hook in rosewood or even if I have a pattern for a Christmas doily. I’m sure I have all of the above, but I don’t KNOW it.

So, forgive my mess and know that it will be to the advantage of my readers that there will be lots Lots lots of contests soon to receive the overflow of my yarn trove, hooks that I’ll never use, and duplicate pattern mags and books. Don’t go far. I’m gonna unload these things over the next few months and you’ll ALL have a good shot at winning some.

Note: In the interest of full disclosure, the picture above is from an LB blog. I CANNOT find my camera in all this mess. Surprised??

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Just about anything you can make in fabric you can make in knitting, but there are some styles that you just don’t see that often translated into knitting.

For example, a button down collared shirt. This is a classic design, of course, and it looks great in a knit version, but it’s just not something you see much of.

Noma Ndlovu’s Guglethu shirt is the pattern to try if you want to knit your own button down shirt. This one is inspired by cashmere tops (though the sample was made out of yak yarn, not cashmere, and uses two strands of lace weight yarn held together) and includes lots of high-fashion details like double-knit cuffs, collar and shoulder seams.

It has a patch pocket on the front and 10 buttons including the button band and the cuffs.

The designer says you can also use a DK weight yarn held singly if you’d rather, and that the shirt looks good in a variety of yarns. There is another version on Ravelry that uses Berroco Remix Light, which is a mix of nylon, cotton, acrylic, silk and cellulose fibers. It has a more relaxed look but it still really pretty.

The pattern has 12 sizes, with a full bust measurement ranging from 32.35 to 72.25 inches, or 82 to 183.5 cm. The designer suggests 2 to 6 inches, or 5 to 15 cm, of positive ease when you pick your size. I could totally see knitting one that’s even bigger to wear more like a jacket, because I do that a lot with button down shirts I already own.

I love all the details on this shirt, which isn’t necessarily difficult to knit, but might introduce you to some things you’ve never knit before (like those cuffs with the plackets, or a shirt collar like this).

To learn more about this shirt and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself, head to Ravelry.

[Photo: Noma Ndlovu]

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