The River

SOOOOO! Here's the "Violets" with the violets all finished. I have picked up stitches along the left and right sides of the triangle and started the River. The River turned out to be quite easy. Mostly knit stitches. But the number is growing. Over 250 stitches per row and I am only on the second repeat of the pattern. I know, I know. That's nothing compared to a large project like the Princess, or the Wedding Ring Shawl. But I've never worked on so many stitches in one row before.

Picking up the stitches turned out to be more interesting than I thought. I must've been tired at the time that I wasn't paying full attention. I had to do it four times to get it right.

Besides "Violets", I have not knitted anything else. I have in mind a two-color project, but that will not be shown here until it's done. It will be a gift. However, I did do a lot of research. What research? Well... SPINNING! Spinning with a spindle to be more specific. Yes, I have Sachi to blame for that. Why? It's not that she pushed me into thinking about it. I've read about spinning. The nice ladies at A Mano tried to tempt me with roving and spindles. But I resisted them because I just wanted to focus on knitting. But, reading Sachi's recent adventure with spinning was like a big shove that finally got me through the door. Yes, Sachi, you did it. And girl, I can't believe you've upgraded to a wheel already!

So, I bought spinning books. I've talked to spinners. I've asked for advice. I've researched spinning online. I'm planning on attending spinning guild meeting. There's a store that I want to visit. There's a class that I want to take. What? Am I spinning? Nope. Not yet. I haven't gotten a spindle yet. LOL Anybody that knows me well knows that I take forever to research before taking on something new. But, I've ordered one. I'm so looking forward to getting it in my hands. In the meantime, I'm still shopping around. Maybe going to places and try different spindles. Maybe I will find one that's a bit heavier than the one I ordered. It's a new adventure.

Spinning with a spindle really appeals to me. Not only that it's portable, meditative. The thought of feeling the fiber twist and form into yarn in my fingers is really pleasing to me. I think it will be great for strengthening concentration. :-D

Oh, by the way, Ken gave a great review on KnitPicks' new interchangeable needles. Go check it out! Sachi, where's your review? :-P