KCC - Foundation Fun

I am participating in the Knitting Community College by Mel of the Singlehanded Knits.  She is leading a knitting course and it sounds like a good way to think about knitting.  

The first assignment consists of:

Foundation Work

1) What Yarn am I using?  What can the ball band tell me? (fiber content, maker/dyer, care instructions, where is the yarn from, etc.).

2) Using as many of the 4 senses as possible (without actually taste testing) explain your yarn.

3) Using resources such as books, magazines, on-line read up on and investigate your fiber or fiber-blend.  Jot down some things you learned.

4) HANDS ON ACTIVITY: Using a needle recommended for gauge on your ball band, case on enough stitches to create a 4" square.  Repeat this using a needle 2 sizes larger than the first attempt or at least one size larger than recommended on the ball band.

5) Once the squares are done, check them out!  Measure them.  Record our stitches and rows per inch.  What do you see?  Do you like one more that the other?  Why?  Why not?  How do they feel?  How does how they feel compare/differ from each other?  Be as detailed as you want when you are recording your observations.

6) Soak and block each.  For blocking purposes, we are simply smoothing them out and not forcing a size.  The important focus is what can you learn and see and observe from your swatches?  Did soaking alter either?

7) EXTRA CREDIT:  Go Big!  Use a size needle you think is MUCH larger than you should and knit a small 20 by 20 sample.  Describe it in the same way as you did the others.  Compare and contrast it to the other two.

Since it is the year of buying no yarn, I dug through the stash and came up with two skeins of Kona Bay Cotton in a red color.  I think I bought this yarn the first year I started knitting when I didn't know what I was doing.  Combined, there are only 212 yards.

Part is this assignment is to journal in a notebook, but I decided to journal here so I don't have to keep track of something else.  I hope this will be a great learning experience.  I will post my progress as I make it.