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!