A tale of two projects

Thinking over this post for Swap10 that we've been asked to do (our favorite and/or our hideous monster project) has been interesting. I've been trying to think through all the crafting I've done - there's a lot of years of yarn there.... So I think my least favorite would be something that I finished, but immediately frogged. During college I found a pattern for a plug-in-the-numbers design your own top-down raglan. I thought this was a great idea. It probably was, but I choose to work it in two strands of woolease, knit pretty densely. It was a monster - took tons of yarn, was very boxy, and of course, could have stood on its own. Almost as soon as it was finished I started unraveling it. I used that pretty pale green woolease for many things since then and I think it's finally gone. I have no pictures of the sweater, although I will look around for anything that has the green yarn in it.

Unfortunately I also have no pictures (at the moment) for my favorite item. A couple of years ago I was trying to work through some of my small amounts of yarn. It was fall. I designed a poncho pattern for my daughter and used some of the pretty scrap. As she wore it (and now her sister wears it) I have gotten tons of compliments on it... and of course I like how it looks too! As it is lovely (cough) winter weather again here, I can't find it at the moment - I will try to find it within the next couple of days and post the picture.

A runner up to favorite is my bamboo shawl. This is also the same pattern I used to make a shawl for my older daughter (at the bottom of this post. I had spun the bamboo on my wheel and while I think I could do a better job now, it was pretty nice. It's very soft and warm, and a little unusual.

Tomorrow's post will be very picture heavy (my husband's knit picks order, my current projects, and some finishing touches to a couple of items). I'd do it tonight, but I'm just too tired....


Comments:
Robyn who said: I will see you at Webs! I'm coming!

-we will have to figure out a meeting spot or some sort!! Looking forward to it. :)


Tammy who said: ...And...Happy Birthday girl!

-Thank you for the birthday wishes! and I will make sure to have a great time listening to the yarn harlot :) hope you get to see her sometime too!

Bamboo Shawl photos

I feel like I'm cranking them out, even though it's been a week since I posted I have finished multiple projects in that week... Here's the shawl.





I didn't block it yet, not sure if i will, as I didn't think it would help, as the bamboo doesn't have memory like the wool does. Just to recap - This is bamboo that I bought - about two pounds worth, and spun and then knit into this shawl.





I really like the pattern that I choose for the shawl





AND I still have a small amount left... including a small amount that took some orange dye... not very well as you can tell.

Bamboo is done!!

I finished the last of the bamboo... It's been a long process over the last couple of days, trying to speed card and then enjoy the spinning. Thankfully my children cooperated and the housework was put on hold. After so long of it sitting in the box, I could feel it itching to get out and be done. I thought it would be last night, but instead I hid the last of the bats and went to sleep and finish it this morning. Funny enough, I have already started a shawl with it.. I picked up the pattern this morning at Creative Fibers. I kindof knew what I wanted since I've been scoping out all sorts of patterns and objects online while spinning the last bit. Unfortunately I've only done about the first 30 rows, since I've been trying to finish the wool/felting baby blanket.

I have about 4 balls this size, and then a couple of really smaller ones from my first burst of bamboo spinning (ummm, 6 months ago?). I really don't know what I'll do with whatever is left from the shawl - we'll just have to wait and see how much that is...

More Bamboo spinning

I have been spinning the bamboo I have... I originally bought 2 lbs back in July 2005, I've spun some of it up, but mostly it's been sitting in the box. I now have another bobbin full... (the bobbin on the right is a small amount of wool - my sister is learning to spin.


And now I am working on filling bobbin number two.