It's been a busy few days of spinning and knitting. Yesterday and today we've been spending the mornings flicking or combing fiber and then spinning it up.
Once we've spun enough to ply, we've made up little sample skeins for ourselves and have been encouraged to knit up little swatches, when we have the time.
I haven't found that time because I've been too busy working on the Pine and Ivy shawl for the knitting portion of our retreat most evenings.
Anne Hanson has been giving us some fantastic lessons in lace knitting and then sitting with us while we work our way through the shawl patterns we've chosen. Today's lesson was particularly insightful as she brought out swatch after swatch in different yarns to show us how the same pattern can vary so much in appearance, texture, and size by using a different yarn.
I've been working LATE every evening trying to get more rows done on this shawl although I'm usually so tired that I end up knitting the same row over and over as I make foolish mistakes. I was thrilled, however, when yesterday Anne came over and picked up what I've done so far and showed it to the class. I'm hoping some of her expertise will rub off on my needles just by her having touched them.
We also did a little exercise in provisional cast-ons yesterday, knitting a tiny swatch and then going back to pick up the live stitches from the provisional cast-on edge.
I always run into trouble when it comes time to take out the provisional stitches but Anne showed us the trick to easily removing them.
Now I'm headed to bed to do a little reading and then to call it a night. We have one more day of spinning and knitting and then our retreat is over this year. Phooey! Just like last year, it's been a great experience.
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