Birch

Pattern: Birch by Sharon Miller from Rowan 34
Yarn: Rowanspun 4ply in Midnight from Cucumberpatch on ebay (yarn held doubled)
Needles: 5mm
Modifications: Because of the heavier yarn I eliminated two repeats of the pattern, casting on 279 instead of 299 stitches
Date started: February 5, 2007
Date finished: February 19, 2007
Thoughts: this was a really fun pattern to knit. It was easy to memorize and easy to read so you can put it down and pick it up whenever you want. It's fun to start with the super long rows since they keep getting shorter and shorter. The last 10 repeats flew by. I was terrified of running out of yarn but I made it with about 4m to spare. I would definitely recommend this project to anyone and I will probably make several more.

Anastasia Socks

Anastasia Socks

Pattern: Anastasia socks
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM, a birthday gift from Samantha
Started: January 16, 2007
Finished: January 29, 2007

I started these socks when I finished Tubey because I needed something to take with me on the trip to visit Heather. I'd had the Koigu in the stash for a while waiting for the perfect project, which was this one! I did them toe-up, 64 stitches around, 2.5mm needles (magic loop), with a twisted rib at the top. These socks took a little bit longer to knit than usual since I was also working on my Swallowtail shawl at the same time.

Swallowtail Shawl

Swallowtail Shawl

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark in Interweave Knits Fall 2006
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Laceweight in Lipstick Lace (acquired during an online swap)
Started: Mid-August 2006
Finished: January 26, 2007

I started out with lots of steam but ran into problems once I hit the nupps. I put it away in early September and tried to pick it up a few times but kept getting discouraged. I finally got back to it in mid-January when it occured to me that this would be an excellent shawl to wear on Valentine's Day. I'm happy that it's done and, though I love Evelyn A. Clark's patterns, I will not be knitting this one again.