On the Needles - 1/10/14

As always, I overestimated how much knitting I would get done this past week while traveling & visiting family:)  For some reason, I found this little guy much more fascinating than yarn.....

Do you think he looks a little exhausted from all the cuddling he got from his Grandma?

I barely touched my red socks - boy have they been neglected!!!  But I did get another wedge applied to my Wingspan shawl....six of eight wedges complete now :)

This project is pretty much a mindless knit, so it's perfect for traveling and visiting with family.  I'll be sad when it is finished.

One thing that made knitting on this project much more enjoyable was my new Dreamz interchangeable needles!  I was so excited and just couldn't wait for a new project to try them out, so I traded out the old Clover circular needles for these....

So far, so good!  I love the feel of them and the fact that the yarn moves easily along the needle but doesn't threaten to fall off.  I've heard stories of interchangeables coming unscrewed or having a "catch" where they join, but so far these are working out beautifully :*)  I'll be able to give a better recommendation after I have used several more of the tips on other projects.

And since Winter seems intent on making us all miserable this year - (Polar Vortex????  Really????) - I thought I would go ahead and start my next crush - the Swing Cowl by Angela Meinz (click link HERE to see this free pattern on Ravelry).  Note:  If you are not a member of Ravelry, you may not be able to see it, but signing up is free, easy, and without any interference in your personal stuff (like spam!), so you may want to sign up just so you can see all the pretty yarn projects... just sayin' :*)

I was inspired to make this Cowl by seeing Denise's HERE!  Since I don't want to show her pictures or those from Ravelry without permission, I'll just show you how my pattern looks on my Kindle...

I just love the way the pattern moves in this Cowl!!!  And I LOVE the rainbow colors Denise used in hers!  My first reaction was to go find that yarn and make one just like it!!!  You know how that feels, don't you?  Please say you do! :*)  But then I remembered my resolve to SIMPLIFY this year... which meant that I needed to see if anything in my meager stash would work for this project.

And Eureka!!!  I have this Noro sock yarn that I originally purchased to make my Dreambird shawl, but then I found the blues/aquas colorway that I really wanted, so this went back in the stash for something else.  Hmmm, something else like maybe a Swing Cowl?  Yep - I think so!!!  It is not the true rainbow colors of Denise's, but there is a lot of color variety and I think I will be very happy with it.  I also had enough black left from Dreambird to use as the background on this - double perfect!!!  I love knowing that I will be using stash yarn and not just buying more for this project!

Workin' that SIMPLIFY plan - YAY!!!

And one last share for this On the Needles post ..... I was finally able to present my needled Christmas gifts, so now I can show them to you....

Crocheted scarf and matching knitted hand warmers for my daughter
Also, a soft face cloth in the palest shade of her favorite color, purple :*)

Knitted hand warmers for our oldest granddaughters, Emma (18) and Sara (15)

Both of these granddaughters are now driving - Sara just got her learner's permit - so these hand warmers will be great for them this winter as they drive.  Of course, and perhaps more importantly to the girls, these also leave those finger tips free for texting and playing games on their phones - hopefully NOT while they are driving :*)

What's on your needles today?  

Please share or just go look at all the yarn pretties at Patchwork Times!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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