On the Needles - March

We're midway through March already, and it's Spring Break for many schools down here in Texas, mine included.  As for my plans, well there will be lots of knitting, spinning and painting happening in my downtime.  After all why not use the extra time to the fullest?

I figured it was about time for an "On the Needles" update, so today I am sharing with you all the projects I am currently working on.

First up is my March socks - which I am calling "Lucky Stripes".  March is for St.Patrick's Day and St. Patrick's is known for green.  So I found the most green yarn I had and decided to make my socks with it.  The yarn is called Rico Design Superba Poems and came from the UK via a traveling relative a few years back.  The stripes are long, even longer than Zauberball, so I decided to stripe it within itself by dividing up the yarn and switching between two balls every ten rows.

The second project is one that has been on my list for awhile, Sev[en] Circle, with is a simple necklace type project that involves stockinette stitch rolling upon itself to create coils.  I loved this when I saw a friend wearing one last fall and knew that I wanted to make it many many time, although this will be the first one for me.  The yarn is some leftover Vinni's color, which was (ironically) given to me by the same relative as the sock yarn, this time from Africa.  I'm pretty sure I don't have enough for all seven circles, but the patterns is written to where I can stop when needed.

The lunch ladies at the school found out I know how to knit and have asked me to make them some converse booties for their children.  While most of the patterns are crochet, I was lucky to find one for knitting that I think is working.  Once I finished the first, the rest will be smooth sailing, as it's a pretty easy pattern.  The yarn? My standby - Caron Simply Soft.

The final thing on my needles won't be done for awhile, as our knitting guild is doing a year long Mystery Knit Along.  With one part of the pattern being released each month, it's a slow go.  The pattern is one that is already on Ravelry and I had the honor of picking it as and dividing it up.  So technically I know what it is, but I'm not going to tell.  And if you recognize it ever, don't tell either! ;) ;)

The yarn I chose was given to me in a swap - Merino Cashmere Fingering by Skein. It is so soft and scrumptious, that I knew it had to be something other than socks. 

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Any new projects on the needles for March? Any knit alongs happening? Any major projects you fear will never be complete? Share away my friends and have a great week!

~Lisa

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 :)

The hunt is on...and a pair of socks too!

Hey all. So I probably will not be doing WIP Wednesday tomorrow, because I don't really have any WIPs to talk about! Yea, that's right, I finished my socks!

In the end, I really like these socks! The foot was a butt to work, but it turned out alright in the end. The heel worries me a bit though, because it doesn't seem to want to stay lined up with the heel of my foot always, so I often have to rotate the socks. As for the yarn, Pagewood Farms Yukon, I absolutely adore the color, but the yarn itself seems a bit fuzzy; I'm wondering how this will hold up in a machine/after washing...

(My photo skills, or lack there of, do no justice to the beauty of these socks!)

As for the 'hunt' I referred to in my title, I am currently hunting down a nice worsted yarn to make this shawl for Evelyn's (Project: Stash) KAL. I am leaning towards a blue color, maybe even just getting some more of the yarn I used to make this:

Plymouth Yarn, Jeannee...but there's only 111 yards per skein :/

Blue just naturally looks good on me. I will have to do a bit of hunting at my LYS on Thursday to find the perfect fit (that isn't too expensive....too bad budgets always get in the way...so much for using only stash yarn this year!)

In other news, I knitted this winter headband up yesterday and today (it only took a total of 4 hours!) and it is now for sale in my Etsy shop. I need opinions on the photos though. I don't own a dummy to take a photo of it on, and I don't want to photograph is on a real head either. Do these photo's suffice or should I find a "head" to put it on. I am seriously considering making more, since it utilizes a few things I love: Handspun and Handdyed yarns, bright colors against black, and quick knits. What do you all think?

I am really enjoying my summer figure class right now, and I'm learning so much! I hope that everyone else out there in blog land is enjoying your time spent doing your passions, be it knitting, working, cooking, anything, and is having a good start to the week.

~Lisa