Addicted to knitting!

I'm really having a great time learning how to knit! I wanted to learn for years, and finally enrolled in a class at the local community college. We meet on Tuesday nights from 6-8:30. I really enjoy the class. We all work on different projects, and it's a mix of beginners and more advanced knitters. Most of the gals have taken the class more than once. When this spring session is over, I plan to enroll in the summer class. :)

I decided to branch out and try working with some of the more unusual funky new yarns they have been coming out with lately, and I'm really having a good time.

Here's my two latest projects:



The purple and pink scarf is made from Bernat Boa. It was a lot easier to work with than I thought it would be, and the scarf is so silky. I made it using one skein, and it looks really cute draped around and fastened with a stick pin. I have quite a few skeins of the Bernat Boa in this color. I'm going to make a longer scarf for myself, and some other projects since I have enough of it on hand to play around with a bit.

The project on the circular needle is a shawl I'm working on using a mixed autumn color boucle and a carry-along yarn from Italy called Eros. The carry along has bits of jewel tone colors every inch or so - blue, purple, yellow, green, etc. It really brings out the flecks of autumn tones in the boucle. This is the first project I've tried knitting using more than one strand, and the first time I've used circular needles. So far, so good! I'm taking it to class with me, as I'm about to the end of the first skein of boucle, and I'm not sure how to start a new skein with knitting. I'm learning as I go along. :)

The Eros yarn is just gorgeous, but it cost me about $10 a ball at the local LYS. I recently saw a similar yarn at Walmart for $4.36 a ball. Has anyone used the cheaper version?? I was just wondering if it is good quality or not?? I haven't had any problems with breakage using the Eros, but if I can save $6 a ball, I would try the cheaper version in the future if it isn't poor quality.

We went to an outdoor concert on Saturday. It was all oldies music -- Boogiefest at ICC college in Spindale, NC. The final group that played was 1964: A Tribute. They are a Beatles tribute band, and they looked and sounded exactly like the Beatles did in the 60's. I couldn't believe it! It was just great! And yes -- I took my knitting and worked on a scarf until it got too dark to work anymore. You know you're addicted to knitting when you take it everywhere with you! :)

Hugs! Juli