Always learning, or at least trying

It's all about the process, not production. At least that's what I've been telling myself this week. I changed my wheel to double drive and feel like I'm learning to spin all over again. I'm just not consistent yet in double drive. I don't know why I feel like I need to learn double drive, but since my wheel does it I should know how. I've been spinning yards and yards of brown corridale, so I got bored and thought I should try to learn to use my spindle. The spindle is fun and portable, now I can take it along and spin on my spring trip to Washington DC!

Since I've been spinning and practicing on all that beautiful natural colored Corridale and BFL I rewarded myself . I love fiber from Sunset Fiber and bought 2 pounds to dye and a couple of colorways. I also found a new fiber source on Etsy, Freckle Face Fibers. My next goal is to be productive and spin some yarn I will use.

Noro Striped Scarf

Pattern: Jared Flood's Generic 1x1 Ribbed Striped Scarf

Materials: Noro Silk Garden; 45 silk 45 kid mohair 10 lambswool

Amount: 4 balls in total in Shades 252 (2 balls), 273, and 241; Approx. 440yds/200g

Needles: US 6

Dimensions: Approximately 5 inches in width and about 6 feet in length, unblocked

Start Date: December 28 2009

Finish Date: January 3, 2010

The scarf is finally finished! On to the next project, I picked up a UFO and started working on the KAL project I bought in Portland. Zaynab, Jeanie and I picked out the cabled wrap at Knit Purl in September. Zaynab has her project complete, I have one skein of yarn to go, and I think we lost Jeanie's interest in about the middle of the first skein. The yarn is luxurious, but the pattern is very repetitious. I know I need another project on the needles too, so I plan on casting on a hat for Caiti this week. She lost hers somewhere, so it's a perfect excuse for another project.

One of my New Year knitting goals is to knit my first sweater. Jeanie and I signed up last week for a sweater class in March, an Icelandic cardigan knit in the round and steeked. I will learn two color knitting and steeking. Fun!!

Knitting burns 80 calories an hour... I wonder if I can count that towards my exercise goals for the New Year, probably not. :-(

New Year's Knitting Resolutions

1. Knit Daily

2. Be an adventurous knitter

3. Update my Ravelry projects and keep up to date

4. Blog!

I have been in a knitting funk lately and I think the best way to get out of that is to make sure I knit daily. I started an easy Noro Striped Scarf last week and got about half way thru it this weekend. It's a no brainer knit, great for curling up and knitting while watching TV. The Noro does all the work, I like how it's turning out.

The Noro scarf isn't too adventurous, I want to expand my knitting skills and try to knit a sweater for myself this year.

While I wasn't blogging about my knitting I thought I was keeping Ravelry updated with all of my projects but I have found I'm missing quite a few! I'm gathering photos and hope to get that updated soon.

I really hadn't thought much about my knitting blog until my friend Jeanie started her knitting/fiber blog and now I am inspired to update my blog. Thanks Jeanie!

These are my New Year's Knitting Resolutions. I don't know if I will keep all of them, but I know I will be knitting.

Hate is such a strong word...

Originally uploaded by another AK girl

I took a class recently at a LYS learning how to make felted clogs. I didn't have size 13 circulars in my needle collection so I bought 16" and 23" Addi Turbos. I bought the pattern, yarn and paid for the class... so about $90 later I really HATE knitting these clogs.

At first I thought it was the pattern, it required a lot of concentration and counting. I like repetitive and quick, I was having a great time with my Hemlock Ring Blanket.

I was losing all motivation to knit the clogs, I was thinking of other projects and didn't even knit in the morning over coffee.

Doing my homework and getting ready for a Thrummed Mitten class put on by the guild I noticed how fun it was to cast on 40 stiches and knit 2 purl 2 on my dpn's. I realized I didn't hate the clogs, I hated the Addi Turbos! I've never like knitting on metal needles, I thought I had gotten over my metal needle dislike but I was so wrong.

Now that I've realized that, and Aaron has volunteered to finish my clogs in exchange for the Addi Turbos.... life is good!

Year End Progress

I actually feel like I've been making progress and my works in progress are becoming finished objects!

I've completed my Entrelac Scarf. I love doing Entrelac, I'm planning a few more projects. Perhaps the Lady E shawl, and the "Quaint" headband on Knitty.com is a must.



My first lace project is off the needles. It's a shoulder shawl but I think it's small. I still have to block and and may just block the heck out of it and see how big it can be. It will be my first attempt at blocking anything. Caiti loves the shawl and it fits her nicely, she's been trying to make it hers. I told her we could share.


dishcloths


I gave Stephanie her pedicure socks for Christmas. I think she likes them, I know she was surprised. I also got a couple of dishcloths done for her, she said she was in desparate need.


Rockstar!

I finished weaving in the ends of Caiti's "Rockstar" Scarf tonight. She's really excited to wear it to school. I'm glad to be done with that fuzzy yarn! ewwww...

It's time to review my ravelry queue and decide what I'll work on for the new year. I don't think I want to go back to working on one project at a time, it was fun to have three things on the needles and be able to rotate when boredom set in. I think it kept me motivated.

The Class

Elke Coon taught a class at Knitting Grounds on Entrelac, Reverse Knitting and Reverse Purling last night. It was a hard concept to grasp and it felt like knitting for the first time. My hands felt awkward, I didn't know where to hold the yarn, I couldn't figure out how to read the pattern, I didn't know if I should be knitting forward or backward, or even knitting or purling!


It was great fun and now that I think I have it down, I'm hooked! I started at the store, ended up frogging (I attended Aaron's class on frogging) and started over. I had to leave with only 2 triangles on my needles but stayed up knitting at home until midnight to get the technique down. I had no intention of starting another project, especially one that wasn't in my Ravelry queue but I really wanted to learn how to do this.

I wasn't too sure of the Noro Silk Garden the pattern called for. I didn't like how it felt, but I loved the color. I am enjoying this yarn and I love how the color fits into the Entrelac pattern.

Elke is amazing, she can visualize how the stiches go together and form the fabric. She understood our questions, and could see what we were knitting as we went along. I would love to have a few more sessions with her.

Bordermania

I'm finally on the home stretch, at least I think I am anyway.

I've started the border and finished 5 of the 8 rows. Then it's on to 2 rows of binding off. woohoo!! I've only used most of one skein of yarn, and I'm wondering how big the shawl will block.


I can't believe I'm almost done!! And yes, I've already begun planning my next lace project.