April 7, 2007

Welcome!!!!

Welcome to Yarnspirations! I just set up this blog before heading to bed, so hopefully I will have some pictures for you very shortly.

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Samantha, I am 26 years old, and I live in New Jersey. I am a high school math teacher and love crafts of all kinds. My grandma taught me to crochet 20 years ago. About a year and a half ago I wanted to expand my horizons and try knitting. I picked up a starter kit and went to work. I could wrangle out the little 2" swatches they had you practice the knit and purl stitch on, but when I went to anything wider my stitches kept falling off the needles. What the . . . .!!!!

Well, after trying this for several hours, I resigned myself to the fact that I could have crocheted two scarves in this same amount of time and all I had to show for myself was 2 itty-bitty swatches. Away those needles went!!!

Last February I decided to pick up those knitting needles and try again. I don't know what happened, but I had no problems this time!!!! I was able to cast on, knit and purl a two-strand (fun-fur, ack!) scarf with no problems. After I finished three scarves, I went straight to a shirt and then after that jumped right into socks. Since I picked up those needles a second time I have been fearless and unstoppable. In the past year I have now knit: 8 scarves, a shawl, all the parts to that shirt, knitted flowers, 2 pairs of thrummed mittens, 2 pocketbooks, 5 finished pairs of socks, 3 half pairs of socks, and I have almost finished the cap shawl from Victorian Lace Today.

By the end of the summer I plan to have another couple of pairs of socks finished, a shawl for my grandma, two scarves for my mom, a new pair of mittens for me, a felted water bottle holder, a couple of felted coin purses, and maybe a hip scarf (the first pattern in Victorian Lace Today).

I still want to teach myself how to do cables, Fair Isle, sweater knitting, steeking, Intarsia, and dyeing yarns. I would love your input on any of these topics!

I will be posting pictures of my current and past projects soon! Please bookmark my site and leave your information behind if you would like me to visit your site, too!

Knit away!
Samantha