Second Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week

What is this you ask.  Well, head to this site and read all the details!

I participated in this last year and really enjoyed it.  Even though I am a day behind, I will make up for it all in this post!

Day One: 28th March. A Tale of Two Yarns.

As many of you know if you follow the blog at all, I love swaps.  One of the best reasons is the yarn that always is a key component of the package.  Many of my spoilers have sent me yarns that are "native" to their country or from a local Indie crafter.  Some have sent me commercially manufactured yarns as well.  This post is designed to speak to a yarn that I love and then to one that I loathe.  Since the Indie ones are not mass produced, I will just tell you that there have been many that I ahve raved about and wish I could get more; however several of them are one of a kind hanks and I love that aspect so I will not venture to brag about them.

Loathe is a bit strong, so I'll simply say that the Twin Twist by Wool In The Woods was not one of my favorites.  I know that it is no longer in production and that may be bad news for those that love it.  The colors of the skein were vibrant and I loved the name, Gem Jubilee.  Overall, I just wanted the project to be over so I didn't have to work with it any longer than necessary.  For those of you that know who you are, Noro is actually the one yarn that I do loathe and despise.  It feels like sandpaper to me.  Disclaimer, that is simply my opinion.



Conversely, one of my all time favorites is ShiBui Sock Yarn.  It is scrumptious!  I used it to make my Clapotis and the leftovers were transformed into a Calais for Megan.  I have acquired additional skeins from Twisted Yarns for a yet to be determined project and I have my eyes set on some additional skeins in colorways that yearn to become a cardigan.  If you have not tried this yarn, you really should do so....even if you use it for something other than socks, I think you'll agree.





Day Two: 29th March. Skill + 1UP

I am directed to look back over where I was last year at this exact time and compare what I know and have accomplished against now to see progression.  What I can tell you is that I finished some VERY old UFO's last year, one that even won me a prize.



I took on lace using sock yarns at first and then I moved to the Xie from SWTC which is bamboo thread.  I liked lace so much that I attempted to do the Ten in 2010 Challenge.  I fell short by three.  I have the Eleven in 2011 Challenge active but I am not sure if I will actually commit to it since it is March and I am doing the self imposed sock of the month club.  I also focused on knitting for myself last year and have carried it forward into this year.  I am also working from the stash this year and enjoying that as well.

As for techniques, I still have a few that I want to attempt but I am not letting that slow me down.  I'll get to them when I get to them and that suits me just fine.  I did attempt to learn how to use a drop spindle and I may return to it in the Fall but for now it is in time out.  And that is all we are going to say about it for now.

So, I am now current and will post the next installment Wednesday!

All Tooled Up

Wild Card Topic: Do you have a particular knitting/crochet tool or piece of equipment that you love to use? Maybe it is an old bent pair of needles that used to belong to someone special, or a gorgeous rosewood hand-turned crochet hook that you just love the feel of? Write about why you love it.

While this topic may be a wild card, it is one of the wonders of this craft world. Each and every one of the people that will blog about this will share something different. Some will share new items and many will share the same items. There is no right or wrong in this area, as it will be as unique as the person discussing the tool.

For me, it is my plastic darning needle. It was given to me by my Aunt Margaret when she was teaching me how to make socks on dpn's. It is the most humble thing in my tool kit. I have two of them. One was a gift from Aunt Margaret and I bought the second one when it was suggested that perhaps I should put the gift up so that I wouldn't loose it. I used the replacement for a few years and when I moved in with SF, I decided that I should use the gift one. It just felt like the right thing to do.

I love the plastic ones simply because they are flexible and that makes the kitchener process much easier. I have several metal ones that I have also received as gifts but they never get used. If you are in need of a metal one...drop me a note and I'll be happy to get one to you.

So what is your favorite tool?