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!

An Inspirational Pattern - Knitting and Crochet Blog Week - Day 2

The Saga of the Sunburst Pullover



Most of my "local" followers will know that I am a die-hard Coldwater Creek lover. I don't get to shop there as often as I would like but that is a story for another day. I think it was about three years ago when I posted on an edition of Tuesday Temptations about a sweater that I was dying to own. If I recall, I even asked the wise FemiKnitMafia for her sagely advice.

It turns out that FemiKnitMafia was on to something when she told me to contact Coldwater Creek about the designer. I was in the process of sending out an email when another knitter on Ravelry steered me to Norah Gaughan. Turns out that the exact sweater was her design and the pattern had been published in the Summer 2002 Interweave Knits issue. I was ecstatic.

I was at Yarns 2 Ewe for an edition of Friday Night Knit Nuts and was lamenting over how to get a copy of a 2002 issue (was not available at IK's online site). Zarina was nearby and said that she thought that she had a spare copy of that issue.....sure enough, she did and the next time I was in the store she handed it to me. The yarn called for in the original pattern has been discontinued, but I doubt that will dissuade me. I have even been stalking the Webs site and found an exact fiber match that I love. Since it is a Fall/Winter sweater I will probably go for one of these three colors (in no particular order): 0538 Leaf, 1012 Espresso or 2430 Coleus.

The main reason that I have not started this one as of yet is the yarn diet I put myself on. When I moved from the apartment to SF's house last year, I decided to knit from my stash until I had depleted as much of it as possible. I have been sticking to it and as a result, this one will have to wait until I make it through at least one more bin of the stash. Unless I get the yarn as a gift from the daughters or SF.