It all started in April, I choose to exchange 4 oz of fiber in my guild's scarf exchange. I brought 4 oz of fiber I carded on my new drum carder, mostly very dark brown merino with accents of turquoise, apricot and green mohair and some silk odds n' ends. I received 4 oz dark blue BFL/silk to work with.
I spun the fiber on a new to me antique double flyer wheel that I had gotten from the Netherlands, getting her was a fun experience but that's a story for another day. I spun the fiber during Ravlery's Tour de Fleece, and learned that I can spin fine, both of which were firsts for me. This wheel made it easy for me to spin fine, up to now most of my spinning has been chunky. I spun this fiber fine and made a 3 ply yarn that finished at 15 wpi. This was my first true 3 ply! Plus it was my first Tour de Fleece, where you spin every day during the Tour de France, except rest days, and post about your spinning. It was good for me to have made a commitment to spin that much and I was please to spin up so much fiber. I spun more than the fiber for the exchange during the Tour but it was what I worked on first.
In September I got a call "reminding" me that my scarf was to be given to it's recipient at the the guild meeting in a week. Eeeck, I thought it was due in April! I hadn't started to finish it, I didn't even know how I was going to turn this yarn into a scarf. Hurriedly I picked a pattern for an easy straight scarf with a lace border and began to knit but it was only about 8" long when the guild meeting started.
The meeting is where my competitive streak was brought into the light. The scarves that were exchanged were glorious, lovely spinning, with beads and intricate lace patterns. They were received with squeals of excitement and hugs. The scarf I got back had been made by Mona and it was phenomenal, she spun the fiber very fine and knit up the lightest most ethereal stowl. It has all the colors I carded into it and matches almost everything I wear. I squealed and hugged! Then I had to hold up my little scrap of a scarf and promise that it would go to it's expectant owner soon. I was embarrassed, well maybe not exactly embarrassed but I knew that my scarf should and could be better, yup competitive. I un-knit it as soon as I got home and began searching for a pattern better suited to my yarn and knitting skills. I picked the Annis Shawl by Suzanna IC on Knitty.com
The next thing I got to learn was how to read a lace pattern, a first for me. I learned to knit with beads (another first) because I heard at the guild meeting that using beads would use less yarn than the nupps the pattern called for. It knit up fairly easily and fast for me (a surprising first), I learned a couple new stitches, a new cast-on and a new cast-off that I like alot. After it was blocked I was so pleased with it and myself. Here is my scarf, I am proud to exchange it, no regrets, and I am happy with what I have learned.
