Little of Both

Sort of pink and sort of orange – I call it pomegranate-colored yarn.

This yarn is from Woolarina – the handspun and hand-dyed yarn line of two great girls: Paula and Kate. I bought it last October at the DC Crafty Bastards Arts and Crafts Fair.

Since it is kind of pink and kind of orange, I figured I would start this project in the latter part of March and extend it into April, keeping with the Project Spectrum color themes.

I saw this pattern in the new Knitting To Go deck, and really liked the simple lines and construction. I thought it would look great in a wool (á la KnitPicks) but I decided to dig in the stash and see if any of my yarns would work. The Woolarina merino laceweight crossed my mind… I swatched at the Columbia Knit Night (fun Monday night!) and finally got gauge when I went up a few needle sizes.

About three inches into the back of the body, and I am really liking the results. It will be a great airy sweater for spring and summer – over camisoles and tanks, and will transition well into the cooler temperatures.

Although the temperatures dipped back down and things are still pretty chilly here in Maryland, the flowers and trees are starting to bloom, and the promise that spring is right aroung the corner!

So… why not celebrate spring?

The National Cherry Blossom Festival begins this weekend on the National Mall in Washington, DC!

I was talking to my girl, Heather on the phone, and we thought it would be fun to have an informal knitter meetup at the Festival!

Sunday, April 9th
2:00 pm at the Washington Monument
(See the PDF Map for Directions)

Come for some knitting, socializing, and fresh spring air!

Perhaps we could bring some blankets and find a grassy knoll to sit and knit upon? Please email me if you are interested in meeting up for the afternoon, or if you have further suggestions (like a rain location? just in case!) It would be great to see all of you there!

The April Project Spectrum Postcard Swap is about three times the size of the March swap! So, if you have not received your postcard pal’s name yet, it will be on the way shortly! I hope to get all of the emails out by this weekend.

In the meantime, I wanted to share with you some of the new project ideas that have spun off from the original Project Spectrum idea. I just love to see these crafters taking the idea and running with it!

• Zarah is taking names for her Project Spectrum Hand-dyed Yarn Swap! If you love to dye your own yarn, and send fun mail packages, this swap is definitely for you! Sign up over at her blog – and make it quick – The deadline is tomorrow (24th)!
• Webfrau has taken Project Spectrum into the digital realm with her new project on the Digital Scrapbook Place. If you like scrapbooking and web design and art, you have to check out this great idea! More details on her blog.
• Lynne started Project: Colorswap, a Secret-Pal style swap where all items in the package match the month’s color. Although sign-ups are already closed, it will be fun to watch what the recipients make and swap with each other!
• Mama-E rolled out some of her new hand-dyed sock yarns… and look at that! There is a colorway named after yours truly! It is yellow and orange – perfect for April! (She is taking orders!)

Mama-E was kind enough to send me a lovely hank of the eponymous colorway, and although it is a little early for the yellow/orange extravaganza, you can see how beautifully this yarn is knitting up! I am doing a simple lace eyelet cuff on this sock, and with this yarn, it looks like a HONEYCOMB! So, that is what I will call them. Yum!

Have a wonderful Thursday!