WIP Wednesday #3; Bit by Bit

Happy Wednesday! I have been eagerly awaiting this day because I want to show off all the amazing projects I have going right now. I have not one, not two, but THREE WIP knitting projects, plus a slowly progressing spindle project. Each one is coming along at it's own pace, bit by bit and row by row.

First on my list for you is the Amari Shawl, which is for a KAL I am doing with Evelyn and a bunch of others. I told myself way back in January I wouldn't buy any new yarn this year, but sadly that plan has come to a halt. I wanted to do this shawl so bad, but I didn't have enough of any worsted yarn in my stash. In the end I caved and purchased Plymouth Yarn Jeannee, in several shades of blue to make the shawl striped. I am still not sure how much I like this project yet, probably because of the yarn, which is half cotton, half acrylic (I did get it in the 'baby' section of the LYS), which doesn't give much drape. I wanted something suitable for summer though, so I think it will be ok. If you get the chance, hop over to the Ravelry KAL and see what everyone is up too, they are all amazing.  For me, this project is going slow, even though it's a fast knit, because it is my knit night only project. It's simply the kind of thing I can take there and not worry about getting distracted during.

I finally casted on  my lacy summer top last weekend, and then ripped it out 3 rows later because it was twisted. Seriously, 260 stitches with yarn that thin is really hard to get right the first time. And man, this thing knits slow. I feel like I've knitted forever, and I'm not even past the first inch of edging! I know in the end I will love it, but right now it's just a pain, and I think it's hurting my eyes to work on too because of how small the yarn is. Lace weight yarn, after this project, is no longer my friend. 

My final WIP for the week is my Pink Spiral Scarf (or is it a shawl?) which has been on the needles for awhile but barely been worked on. For the most part, it has been my between projects project, but I've decided to try and make it my before bed project, since it requires less concentration and eye strain to work on and I can listen to my audio book during it. 

Speaking of audio books, I decided to try one for the first time last week. I was at the library and they had a book I have been needing to read anyway, Crossed by Ally Condie,which is the sequel to the popular book Matchd, and decided to give it a try. It's definitely a different experience that's for sure. It's taking some getting used to the voices and also having to remember what 'chapter' I left off on. But overall, it's an ok experience. I prefer actual books more, but this is ok too.

So now I want to share you something I am REALLY proud of! I have been working on spinning up some lovely Merino/ Tussah Silk blend yarn and I originally was going to divide it into threes and triple ply it, but the first 1/3 came out kinda thick, like everything else I have always spun, and I decided I wanted something different. So for the second 1/3 I took a shot at making it much thinner, and found success! I am so excited! I have never spun anything this spin, or consistent, on my spindle before. It's going much slower, but the progress is so refreshing that it's worth it. Thanks again Ivy for the amazing gift!

 I am 2 days away from finishing up my figure class. I can't wait to share my drawings with you guys, I know you will all love as much as I do (I can't believe I'm even saying that about the figure!). For now, I am leaving you with a picture of Muffin, who thought my spindle was a toy last weekend. Have a good one everyone!

~Lisa

If you want to participate in WIP Wedneday or see more, visit Tami's Amis :)

3KCBWDAY6 - Finding Balance AKA My Current Projects

I'm in a bit of a hurry and since it's the last day, I don't have time to find a list of blogs to share, sorry guys :(

So today is the last day of Knit and Crochet Blog Week, and I really did enjoy reading and posting all week. It was a bit overwhelming but I managed to do it successfully. Congrats to all of those who did the same.

Today we were supposed to talk about balance, as in how we balance our crafts.  I don't crochet, and I really don't plan on ever doing so, but I do both spin and knit and I somehow manage to balance my time between them both.  I don't do each one each day, it's more about what I'm in the mood for. Some days I just want to spin all afternoon, others I just want to knit.

On the knitting front, I am currently finishing up the 2nd of 6 repeats on the cuff of my Springy Orange Socks. I am really excited for these socks. I am doing them 2aat and yet I'm not having any troubles with tangles or the pattern. Overall, I am really proud of these so far and cannot wait to bind them off and wear them!

I feel like lately I haven't been as interested in knitting as I have spinning, so I haven't been balancing the two very much. However I am finding pretty good balance within my spinning, for the Merino/silk blend I am spinning right now is making a beautiful balanced single. I plan to make this a 3-ply when it's done!

What really made me happy was my camel down. I finished it a few weeks ago, just never posted it. I did decide to leave it as a single and after soaking and stretching I managed to make it a very lovely single ply yarn. It will be perfect for some small lacey project later on.

Going back to today's subject of balance, I really think I am doing a good job. Balancing a job, school work (a lot of art studio time!) and somehow finding time to knit, spin or both is a bit of a challenge, but I always seem to pull it out in the end.

I hope you all enjoyed my blog this week. Don't expect another post for a little while, I'm a bit burned out after this.

~Lisa