FibreShare and WhatTheFade

It's been so long since I've written anything- it's been a busy year and life got in the way of all of my crafting obsessions...

So I'll just dive right back in..

I've signed up for this round of #FibreShare - am totally excited about the entire process.  BUT the more I see shiney beautiful pictures of other packages- the more I look at mine and wonder if I'm including enough of the good stuff, or if I need to top up the package with just one more skein, or a spindle to go with the book I included- or if I should just leave it as is.

I know that some people spend a lot of money- I bought some cute extras and a book for my fibreshare partner- including some spinning fibre as she said she was interested in learning.  I didn't, however, include a spindle- so now I'm wondering if I should go buy one or pull one from my own collection... Must think more on that- and I've only got two days till this has to go in the mail.

Something about this entire exercise has sparked some creativity in me in another way- by dusting off my Illustrator skills and making some cute graphics to decorate some little notes with.  It started with just trying to draw a skein of yarn (success!) and once I started I found it hard to stop.  I still need to do a bit of practise, but these little images make me happy and I hope my fibreshare partner likes them!

As for projects- I'm in the last fade section of my massive #whatthefade shawl by Andrea Mowry. It's a stunner- any doubt I had about my palette has vanished as this thing has materialized from my knitting needles.  It's one of the most satisfying knits I've ever done- there's enough variety in each section to not get bored- when you get tired of one colour it's all of a sudden time to switch, just enough to have to pay a bit of attention but not too much that you can't watch a movie or put it down to make dinner and come back in an hour.  It's been a pleasure to watch grow.

It always amazes me how simple a thing like knitting can be- and with small variations we create this beautiful, intricate fabric unlike anything else.  My knitting mojo was just starting to wane when I cast this on- and now I'm feeling re-inspired and excited at the next thing I cast on.

I had forgotten how much I love the brioche stitch- and this is a great project for those just learning- as there's only three spots for increasing and nothing too tricky.  The video tutorials included with the pattern are great and super helpful- even if you've done it before.