Today’s Yesterday’s topic for the Knitting and Crochet Blog Week event is to discuss improving my skillset. Here’s a quick list version of things I’ve done and things I’d like to do:

Stuff I’ve Done:

• Scarves
• Bottom-Up Hats
• Cowls
• Fingerless Mitts
• Armwarmers
• Shawls — sideways, bottom-up, top-down, triangular, crescent, some other odd shapes
• Cuff-Down Socks
• Baby Sweater 
• Pillow
• Thrummed Mittens
• Lace
• Cables
• Beads
• Bobbles
• Two-color knitting (one color per row– like with stripes or slipped stitch colorwork techniques)
• Spun singles and two-ply yarn on a spindle 

Stuff I Haven’t:

• Adult Sweater
• Two-handed colorwork (have not mastered knitting continental-style yet)
• Complete Afghan
• Successful Toe-Up Socks (I tried, but couldn’t get the fit right)
• Other sock constructions (like sideways or knit-flat socks–yes, those exist!)
• Top-Down Hats
• Gloves
• Hand-dye yarn or roving
• Felting
• Navajo-ply or three-ply spin yarn
• Spin on a spinning wheel
• Wash, card, and spin a fleece myself
• Raise and shear my own sheep

I’m sure there are more things I haven’t done, but those are all I can think of right now. I think I’ve made some decent progress but there are definitely things I know I like (like cuff-down socks) that I tend to stick with once I find them. It is fun to learn new things, though, like the whole spinning thing.

You know what I’m probably never going to do although I find it fascinating?

 That is bobbin lacemaking and it is truly amazing. I learned all about it at the CT Sheep & Wool Festival yesterday and the wonderful lady who explained it to me tried quite hard to recruit me, but I don’t think I have the patience to keep all those tiny strings from tangling. Although, I’m sorely tempted because 1) it’s beautiful and 2)…

 … I’d love to do anything called “Advanced Fancy Pants”. 🙂

I promised some woolly pictures from the festival, so get ready for some major fuzziness:

My overwhelmed-by-wool face

Fuzzy bunnies!

Before-and-after sheep

1

Alpaca!

More fuzzy bunnies!

Weird silky chickens?

My modest haul

I had to show great restraint, and I’m pretty surprised I didn’t pick up any actual yarn, but I’m happy with what I’ve found. The bag can apparently be zipped a bunch of different ways and has like 37 pockets, and it was half off! The green braid is 4 oz of Blue-Faced Leicester wool from Dirty Water Dyeworks that I picked up for only $15! And the grey stuff is about 5 oz of undyed Romney wool from Falling Star Farms for only $10! Yay for spinning materials being cheaper than yarn!

(Sorry this post is late, the internet crapped out on me last night and I was exhausted so I just went to bed. Oh well!)