Looking Back: 2008

At the end of 2007, I had little intention of getting back into spinning. The few skeins of yarn I had made were rather disappointing, not to mention time-consuming. But earlier this year, a couple of my knitting friends learned how to spin, and I started to browse the posts on the Ravelry Spindlers group. Pretty soon, I was ready to give spinning another try, and bought new fiber and spindles.


1. Lily Spindle, 2. Golding RingSpindle, 3. Soft Handspun, 4. Big Plans: Spindling for a sweater

I'm so much happier with my spinning now. Good tools, trying different techniques, and practice make a big difference. Plus, I love being able to support some fabulous local independent dyers - A Verb for Keeping Warm, Tactile Fiber Arts, and Pigeonroof Studios.

Of course, the knitting has continued. Here are some of my favorite projects from 2008.


1. Mini Lace Triangle, 2. Lace Ribbon Scarf, 3. Trellis Scarf II, 4. Stripey Socks, 5. Koolhaas Hat, 6. Butterfly Moebius, 7. Ene's Scarf, 8. Squishy Handspun Scarf, 9. Amanda Hat

Malabrigo, my handspun, and lace seemed to be recurring themes in this year's knitting. I also turned to some simple knits (a garter stitch scarf and stockinette stitch socks), which I found surprisingly satisfying, considering that I usually like some lace or cables in my projects.

This year was also filled with a number of fiber-related events, which I attended with some members of my knitting group and other Ravelers. This year we went to Stitches West, Color, and Lambtown, and made a trip to Carolina Homespun and Artfibers. (If you hadn't heard, Artfibers is closing their San Francisco store at the end of January, but will continue selling their yarns online. They recently sent out an email saying they will open an East Bay location in April 2009.)


1. Alpacas at Lambtown, 2. Color Marketplace, 3. Artfibers, 4. Ravelry Goodies from Stitches

It's been a busy year! Hope you had a good 2008, and wishing you a happy 2009!

Trellis the Second

It's pretty rare that I knit the same pattern twice, but earlier this year my grandma asked me to knit her a Trellis Scarf. She liked mine, and wanted hers to be a darker blue.

Over the past few months, I had been making some progress on her scarf, but the approach of Christmas gave me the extra push to finish. And here it is!



Pattern: Trellis Scarf by Evelyn Clark, from Interweave Knits Spring 2006
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr Wool-Silk in Aegean, less than 1 skein
Needles: Addi Natura US 1 1/2 (2.5 mm)



The only major modification I made to the pattern was altering the ending border. The pattern ends with a straight edge, which you block to points. However, this wasn't symmetrical enough for me, so I added in some make ones and decreases to the original chart.


Ending border on the left, beginning on the right.

I hope she likes it!

Happy holidays, everyone!