Project Spectrum Eve! Can you feel it!? I can’t wait to see the explosion of pink and red over the month of March! Thank you for your enthusiasm about the Project – I simply can’t wait to see what you create! There are nearly 400 participants, and remember, you can join at any time (through the end of August!) so, if pink and red don’t float your boat, check us out next month!

…and I warmed up this weekend with my Strawberry Swirly sock…

I am about two inches away from a completed sock – just about to start the toe decreases. This Hill Country Yarns Sweet Feet is great to work with – a simple and soft merino that stripes so well! I chose a generic 3 x 2 rib pattern to show off the yarn’s colors, and experimented with a new heel: the German heel detailed in this Basic pattern.

Mama E, my generous neighbor to the north (about 20 miles north!) sent me a lovely skein of her own hand-dyed sock yarn. Notice to amazing sunshiney color – I don’t think I can wait until April (the yellow/orange month) to cast on. Thanks so much E! This brilliant yarn put a huge smile on my face! (Here’s a closeup!)

Project Spectrum is about many things for me… and sock knitting will be one of my major contributions for each month’s colors. I am planning many other crafts as well, but I am really enjoying looking through the free sock pattern repository that Amy Boogie set up searching for that perfect pattern for the sock yarns I have in my stash. A great resource and completely free!

My weekend was so great – jam-packed with fun! Saturday morning, Heather dropped off the beautiful Pixie girl at my house for a few hours. We played Play-do, went to the park with my dogs, played on the swings, and had lunch all before her mom came to pick her up! She is so much fun – just like her mommy!

Then Heather and I packed it up and headed down to Virginia to meet up with several DC Metro knitbloggers – Ann Fidget and Heather coordinated a meetup and a Stash swap! Ann held the meetup at her lovely home in Alexandria, and there was a great turn out. We had such a great time catching up with each other, seeing each others’ knits, and swapping the different yarns.

(l-r) Isel, Jenna, me, Shelley, Sarah, Rossana, Erin, Liz, and Ann.

Unfortunately, this is not everyone who was at the party, but too good of a group pic not to post! Photo compliments of Heather.

There was a lot of yarn to swap – a whole table full! Lara, Rossana and I check it out (well, that is the back of my head, and the black/red is Rossana…)

And there was even more on Ann’s kitchen island! (Thanks to Ann for the kitchen pics – guess who did not have her camera?) I bet we had about 50 miles of yarn right there! After swapping, we sat around in the living room and stitched and bitched. It was so much fun. I hope there is a next time!

…and those who eluded the camera – unphotographed but not forgotten: Paula, Holly, Chelsea, Amy, and Kel! Great to see some of you again, and to meet everyone else for the very first time Thank you Ann for hosting us in your great place!

Then on Sunday my little Hawaiian sister came to town!! Mimi is here in Maryland, and we spent some time together over the weekend! It is great to have my sister here on the mainland

… and tomorrow if the big day!! Get your scissors, needles, thread, hooks, glue guns, beads, fabrics, paints, and mixing bowls (and don’t forget your cameras!) ready, my friends!!!

One pair of socks finished, and another pair promptly started.

Socks just belong on my needles!

I was looking forward to casting on with this lovely new yarn from Hill Country Yarns (Sweet Feet!). It is not specifically a Project Spectrum knit, but it does happen to be red, so it fits the bill. It may still be a little early (just a few days) but I can assure you I have another pair of socks in mind for the Project. This yarn was planned for the Red Hot Sizzling Socks knitalong, which I signed up for earlier in January. As this knits up, it is living up to its colorway name: Strawberry Swirl. The picture makes them look more orange than they actually are – check out the strawberry link for the true color. (Going over to the website, I saw they have two new colorways – and they happen to be two of my fave color combos: pink and brown and blue and brown! How long can I resist that purchase?)

I came across these lovely fuscia beads on Wednesday, and knew that they would be a great simple craft for Project Spectrum – plus I have never tried beading, so I figured why not start with something simple like big wooden beads? I picked up a satin cord and a hook closure, so a wooden beaded necklace will be in the very near future!

Speaking of new challenges and crafts…

I pre-ordered this book last December. I have wanted to learn more about crochet for many months; in conjunction with the book’s thorough diagrams and instructions, I also signed up for a class at my LYS for next weekend. I am quite excited to learn more about this craft. You can spare me the comments on "converting to the Dark side" and all of that bit. There are pretty crochet patterns out there, and they are tempting me! and goodness knows I could use some more ways to stashbust…

… and there’s more! necklaces, dolls, scarves, shawls…

I am very happy with this purchase! I think this book has a lot to offer, and really gives me a lot of inspiration to start crocheting! The green mat with the flowers seems like a great first big project; maybe after a few scarves to practice.

Things are going so well with the diet and exercise – much better than I expected. I am working out six days a week, and following a good diet. I have been taking a few classes at the gym; feeling out what works for me. Kris and I went to a spinning class today – not yarn, but bikes – and I knew almost immediately that it was not for me. So, I went to the elliptical machine, which I knew works very well for me… so well, that I have actually lost eleven pounds

Have a fun weekend! I will – you’ll see what I did soon enough!

Dublin Bay Socks
Pattern: Mossy Cottage Knits
Yarn: Tess Designer Yarns Superwash Merino Sock
Needles: Size 1 Aluminum DPNs
Started: October 17, 2005 / Finished: February 21, 2006
Alternate View

I got a very bad case of Second Sock Syndrome on these little buggers – I finished three sweaters, two other pairs of socks, and numerous accessories all while these socks were lingering on the needles. I loved the yarn, and I enjoyed the simple pattern, but I did find the size 1 needles to be a little uncomfortable on my wrists, so I blame that for taking so long…

The yarn was great – one of the best I have worked with so far. Heather picked it up for me at Stitches East 2005, and got a matching skein (or two) for herself. So, when that little festival in May comes around, you can bet I will be stopping by the Tess booth! (and Stitches East 2006 is just up the road in Baltimore this year, baby!)

Over the Presidents’ Day holiday, I went pattern and fabric shopping with my mom for my first Sew? I Knit! sew-along pattern. The first project is a skirt – and I had some simple specifications. I wanted:

• something easy to start with because my sewing skills are zilch
• something that could be easily altered as I lose weight

I chose Simplicity 4481, a simple trumpet knee-length skirt with an elastic waist. I was tempted by about a million other patterns, but I do like this one, and it fits my specifications so well. Plus, the pattern has several variations in length, so I will be able to reuse it in the future.

My favorite part was choosing the fabric. Since I wanted to combine the sewalong with Project Spectrum, I bought red and pink fabrics. I saw several floral and geometric prints that I liked at the shop, but chose solids in the end because I may try my hand at some embroidery on the fabric. I chose a pink linen with light flecks of blue and green, and a beautiful red linen. So, I have enough to make two skirts!

You can see that I also bought the thread, and 4 pieces of felt (also in pink and red) and a packet of cute red pearly buttons. I wanted to try some applique with the felt, and the buttons may play a part in my postcard for the Postcard Swap. As you can see, I am really gearing up for Project Spectrum – and over 360 of you are too!

The festivities begin a week from today: March 1st!

All of the names for the Postcard Swap were sent out yesterday (whew! 86 of you!) so, I am behind in regular emails. I actually have one participant in the Postcard Swap who does not have a partner – we had an odd number – so, if you have any interest in the March swap, please leave a comment. I only need one, so the first commenter gets it. If you did not receive an email with your pal’s name, please let me know as soon as possible. (Got one! We are even now!)

On Monday night, I had the chance to meet up with a great bunch of girls for a little knit night at the Panera Bread in Columbia. Although I had to leave early, I was able to meet everyone and have a great hour of knitting fun with Coleen, Eunny, Sarah, Laura, and Amie. If you are in the neighborhood, please stop by!

There is still time to join the International Project Spectrum Postcard Swap for the month of March! The list is growing, as well as the countries represented. Meet a new crafter around the corner or on the other side of the world! Share your love of craft and mail art through this swap.

Please let me know if you want to join this swap by the end of today, February 20th (if your comment or email is dated 2/20, I will add you, regardless of your time zone).

This swap is a part of the larger Project Spectrum. Therefore, if you sign up to make a postcard and send to your pal, the colors for the month of March are red and pink. You can choose any medium to craft your postcard – paper, stamps, yarn, drawing, painting, etc. The only specification is the color!

If you emailed or commented to be in the postcard swap, please check the Project Spectrum Participant List to make sure I got your name on the list for the swap. If you have a ** next to your name, I got your message. Any new participants will also get the stars next to their name so it is clear who is participating.

This swap will occur every month in conjunction with the larger Project Spectrum. Therefore, you do not have to participate this time around. However, if you decide to partipate in any other month, please email me by the 20th of the month BEFORE you participate. So, March 20th will be the next deadline for the April swap (orange and yellow!)

Participants will receive their pal’s name within the next two days. If you have still not heard from me by Thursday morning with your pal’s name, please send me a message.

Please check the Postcard Swap Info page if you have any other questions, and you can always email me.

Thanks to Teresa for the buttons specifically made for the Postcard Swap!

…and for extra insight and the "be a part of something big" feeling, check out Jacqueline’s entry on the history of mail art. Fascinating!

Knitting has been sparse for me this week, which strikes me as kind of funny since thousands of you are working at breakneck speeds on your Olympic projects. I chose not to join because knitting is not a race against time for me; however I enjoy seeing your progress and cheering you on.

My week has been a blur of treadmills, elliptical machines, aqua aerobics, calorie counting and weight training. That’s right: Lolly decided to get serious. I have to say, I am loving every minute of it. Kris and I joined a new gym that is right around the corner from our house. It is so convenient, so welcoming, and plays a large role in the lifestyle change that I am currently making. Things really could not be better – I am already seeing results, and my motivation is sky high. However, the road is long. I hope to keep up the will power and motivation throughout the process!

I managed to get a picture of the modeled Hourglass on my weekly Wednesday meeting with my friend Becca. We have made the point to visit some sort of DC cultural institution every Wednesday afternoon for the few hours we have free between her class at Georgetown, and my class at the Library of Congress. This Wednesday was warm and sunny and I did not even need a coat over the Hourglass sweater. The yarn made a nice fabric that keeps the body warm, but not sweaty hot. It became clear throughout the day that this sweater’s boatneck is very wide, and may need a little tweaking. The off-the-shoulder look can be a little hard to pull off in some environments… kind of breaks that whole librarian stereotype thing though, which I am in favor of 100% !

I chose this week’s Wednesday outing: the National Geographic Society.

Geography was always one of my favorite subjects to study, and my mom can testify that I knew every state capital, and many world capitals by the age of 9. I studied maps and atlases for hours, and this also fed into my love of travel and culture. So, National Geographic Society was a top spot to check out on my list… especially when I heard about their Hawaiian exhibit.

Unfortunately cameras were not allowed, but I did not see the sign until after I captured this picture of the humuhumunukunukuapua’a.

This fish is slightly different in color and markings than the more common humuhumu fish seen on the Hawaiian main islands (I saw them when snorkeling in Oahu a few months ago!) I am already thinking about our next trip to the islands~to see my sister, as well as my knitter friends there!

The NGS had another exhibit about Mongolia, celebrating its 800th year of statehood. It was beautiful, and colorful with many photographs, artifacts of dolls, clothing, and graphic manuscripts decorated with calligraphy. This large and colorful depiction of a Mongolian god was in the foyer of the gallery.

Becca and I greatly enjoyed our time at the small museum attached to the Society’s offices. We even came away with a little souvenir…

The photo was taken in a crammed booth and the printer colors were atrociously off when it came out. Nevertheless, this is Becca and me in front of the Pyramid at Giza and the Sphinx. We are supposed to be on the cover of the magazine, if that was not readily apparent…

Knitting has been sparse, but not non-existant. I turned the heel on my Dublin Bay sock #2. Home stretch!

I think Bonne Marie was right when she said that the turning of the heel is the most beloved knitting moment in the universe. It is sheer magic!

Weekend plans include more activities at the gym (water aerobics and yoga tomorrow!), catching up with my parents, knitting with my Heather girl, and hopefully finishing the socks! Stay tuned for a weekend entry with more talk about Project Spectrum and the Postcard Swap. (Postcard Swap deadline is Monday, so sign up now – email or leave a comment!)