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2012 New Year Resolutions

Happy New Year! 

I can't believe another year has passed and we're now into 2012. Because of all the Olympic build up, I feel that 2012 is already familiar.  

I didn't do too well with last year's resolutions, but I'm someone who loves lists and challenges.  I'm wiping the slate clean and starting afresh!

 

We'll skim over 2011 ...

1) knit from stash as much as possible, I'm not going cold sheep for the whole year though, but will try to limit what I buy to immediate projects. and not to increase the stash. Hmmm so-so.  I have knitted from stash quite a lot, but did increase it somewhat too.  Can't see a difference in the stash in 2011!

2) start a knitting piggy bank  well this was not a success!  i did quite well for the first three months, and then it tailed off.   Still have the money though.

3) log the stash,  Another failure!  Again, the first three months went quite well, but then I decided it wasn't worth doing.  It was eating into valuable knitting time!  I think I will have to let this go. I will never log the stash!

4) Knit from  pattern stash.  I think not.  I did knit a few patterns from books, but thdre's so many new patterns coming along.  I love ravelry downloads.  Patterns are always there in ravelry, and I can download them ot my phone when I want to knit them. 

5) fingerless gloves - 11 in 2011. at   Fingerless Gloves Fanatics  No no no!  I failed in this quest, managed only six pairs.

6) shawls 11 in 2011 at    11 shawls in 2011.  A complete success!  This really is the only resolution i manged to keep!.  

 

So.. ONTO 2012 resolutions.

Let's talk about KALs.  Ravelry is a huge temptress.  I want to join every kal going.  But I'm resisting.  I have not searched the groups for 2012 kals (yet).  I will do a few 12 in 12 though. 

1) 12 garments in 2012.  Am I mad?  Yes, I believe so!  I gave this one a miss last year but still managed to knit four garments.  I'm going to drop out of fthe shawls kal and do this one instead.   The  mission is to finish 12 garments, so my Christmas jumper counts and is garment #1/ IntSweMoDo2012.  Count me in!

2) 12 knits for hands.  This can be gloves, mitts, or mittens.  I aim to use stash yarn.

3) 12 knits for feet.  More stash yarn.

4) 12 knits for heads.  Now this will be for children's heads too, I can't see me needing 12 adult hats!

5) 12 Other Things.  Could be baby, shawl, scarves, cowls, silly ornaments.  I want my total up to 61 this year!

6) Beekeepers Quilt will be finished.  It's not something that I've been concentrating on, but I would like to get this done in 2012. I have lots of little skeins and odd balls to use up!

7) Stash busting.  Again.  This time I'm going to try to get the odd ball/remnants stash under control  I shall use this for the smaller projects    such as hands and feet. and most of the hats I will knit.   And I'm going to commit to using stash yarn for at least eight of the garments I knit. 

Seven resolutions this year, one up on last year, but I think) quite do-able, as long as I don't get tied up with time consuming knitting.

 

 

A year of knitting in 2011

This year I've managed to finish 58 projects.   My ravelry link is here. 

 Baby and child:  4 baby cardigans, 2 baby hats, 2 pairs of bootees. 1 child hat, 1 child cardigan and 1 pair of socks.  Loved knitting Pepper and Small Things. 

Garments: 4 

   
 

I really love Chickadee and Cria.  My Kim Hargreaves Cameo was bloody horrible and has been frogged.   Heather has not been worn yet, it's not been cold enough!

 Blanket: 1 and it's lovely.  I do have Beekeepers on the go, but seems to have stalled a bit.

 

Hands: 2 pairs of gloves,  5 pairs of mittens, 6 pairs of fingerless mitts.  Favourite are my Blue Hands gloves,  Everyone loves these, I'm always getting comments when I wear them.

 

Shawls: 11.  I like a lot of these, for lots of different reasons. 

The one with the most work involved was In Dreams, nearly 1500 yards (which in itself is not too bad) and 5000 beads (that was the killer!)

The one which was most fun to knit was the Polka Dot Stole, both for pattern and yarn (Yarn Yard's Leigh) and colour! Though I could easitly mention at least another four or five which were enjoyable knits. 

 Hats and scarves: 2 hats and 2 scarves.  Both scarves were gifts, and one hat was!  Next year I must do more hats....

 

Socks: 13 pairs of socks, 1 pair of felted clogs.  Clogs plus seven pairs of socks were gifts (for men, on the large side).  Only four pairs were textured, the rest were plain. 

 

 This is my favourite post of the year, seeing all the knitting in one place!

 

Have a Happy New Year, everyone! 

 

 

 

 

A quick update

I'm whizzing off to see the family this weekend, and it's going to be a longer than usual one, leaving in a few hours and not returning till Monday, which means I don't have to rush back on Sunday evening after eating a huge roast dinner.   Mr C. is prepared for his boy's weekend, though he's trying hard to conceal his enjoyment at complete control of the remote, the vodka, eating what and when he wants to, and going to bed late (read: falling asleep on the sofa).  He has included in the Ocado order his usual 'treats' - that's chicken drumsticks which he cooks on Friday and eats cold all weekend, with coleslaw, and also black bread to go with the vodka. Very odd idea of treats if you ask me!

I've been deciding what to take with me for this long weekend. Not clothes, knitting!  I'm taking the turquoise Winter's Eve sock, will finish the foot of the first one, some Hexipuffs for the Beekeeper's Quilt,  some yarn to knit a baby cardigan, and have cast on another shawl, Shaelyn!  Will that be enough???

 

Meanwhile I have knitted a baby hat.  My neice is due shortly, and time is running out for me to knit a little baby set, plus extra stuff for big sister.   This is a free ravelry download, in multiple sizing and in three yarn weights, sport, dk, worsted.  It's knitted with short rows  Very cute.  The thing that swung it for me was the ravelry photos of cute babies!  Not a great shot, taken late at night in dim light with mobile, I'll save the good shot for the finished hat!

It's Aviatrix, I see more in the future!  This is just a cream one with blue bits on the ribbing.   I would consider doing the purl ridges in blue next time.  A quick knit, once I stopped pottering around the flat finding other things to sort out!

And Chickadee is nearly done, just needs a good wash to get rid of excess dye.

Again, late night photo, but at least the colour is right in this one!

So, it's shawl, socks and baby knitting for the forseeable future! 

Oh, and a shout - it's fast approaching November, and that means NaBloPoMo again, a daily post for November.  Anyone else thinking of doing this?  I just have to knit faster so I have posts!

 

September knitting and October knitting goals

I've just had to edit the title so it says the correct months!  

 

Not quite, but nearly!

Finish:

1)  Polka Dot Stole.   Done! 

2) Plain Opal Magic socks. Done!  Need to blog them though.  They were finished just in time, on 29th!

3) Gentleman's Lozenge socks from Vintage knits.  Done, and I love them!

4) Chickadee!  Oops.  Not done!  I've been sock knitting instead!

 

Start:

5) Socks for SKA on ravelry. Done!  One sock done, one to go. 

6) My 10th shawl for 11shawls2011.   JUST started, and it's one leaf! More when I manage to do a bit of progress!

7) Something small.   Started and finished, very pleased with this. It's for ravelry group SolidSocks and the colour is red.  Bleeding Hearts

 

So, six out of seven goals met, but not bad! 

I can't really believe that it's October already. 

October goals

Blog:

1) Plain socks for Mr C.  His birthday isn't until October, but I tend to knit these early,  I'll try to get a photo of them on his feet, but he'll have to not look!

Finish:

2) Chickadee.  Yes, must finish this one. I thik wth this warm spell, and the lure of socks, it's been neglected far too long.  We apparantly have snow due this week (from 29 degrees on Friday!) so that might give me a nudge.

3) SKA September socks - one done, one to go.

4) My 10th shawl for 11shawls2011, not even blogged about yet!

Start:

5) My 11th, and final shawl, for 11shawls2011. 

6) SKA October kal. I have resisted looking at the threads for October...

7) SolidSocks for October.  It's purple, I have purple sock yarn!

Lots more knitting to do, and I need to crack on.  My niece is due to delivery my first great nephew in November (she who said after Miss E was born three years ago that she would NEVER give birth again, lol!).  I want to knit baby stuff!

Scuppered!

I had plans for the weekend.   Today was going to be Sorting Stash day, ready for the Big Swap of winter and summer yarns and clothes.  I've yarns which stay out all year - sock, lace, odd balls. but the bins of yarn which hold packs are swapped over in Spring and Autumn.   It's not really that big a job, just empty them out, decide which are summery yarns (cottons) and which are trans-seasonal (like finer yarns or wool cottons).  The biggest job is to swap them over.  I have to empty the vacuum packs of winter woollies and wools and fill them up with the summer stuff.  The summer stuff takes up half of the volume of the winter yarns and clothes. I then try to find space for the clothing and yarn stash.  That takes up time!   Mr. C. goes over to the boat on Sundays, so it was an ideal day to be surrounded by the stash. 

Mid morning he tells me that his father's birthday is next weekend.  I thoght I had another week to knit the second brown sock.  Not so.  I really need them done by bedtime on Tuesday so he can post them.  So my Stash Sorting is on hold until next weekend.  I wouldn't care, but I have the new anti-moth stuff and bags for the millions of cardigans and jumpers I have.  I'm psyched up for a good stash rummage!

 

I'd also hoped to do a tiny bit of knitting.  Wind some yarn for a new shawl.  Finish the red socks.  Get Chickadee nearly finished. 

Instead my Chickeadee is temporarily abandoned.

 

as are the rest of my wips.

 

I've cast on the second brown sock (on 2mm needles!) and have already dropped  a stitch nearly to the cast on round.  Knitted with the tail yarn twice and messed up a simple 3x3 ribbing. I'm in a bit of a panic. I do not do knitting to a deadline very well, unless it's my personal monthly goals of course!

 

Plans for today are now to knit a sock leg and heel flap.  Sod the housework.  Mr/ C hsall have to keep me topped up with tea and coffee. I have some chocolate buttons for energy.  Wish me well!

Knitting catch up

Some weeks I make good progress, and I knit, knit, knit and manage to knit lots and lots.  Other weeks I stall, don't do as much knitting as I want to and end up with no progress to report.  This is one of those weeks! 
I only have four things on the go, but all four seem to be crawling along or neglected,

 

My Lorna's Laces socks have stalled on sock number one.  I think it's because I'm trying to get a bit done on my Mitred Crosses blanket, want to get this one finished.  That's plodding along too!  I have knitted all squares though, and ahve to knit the side fill in garter rectangles.  Once this is done, it's seaming, which I'm going to do in separate rows, washing each row strip, blocking it (not that this needs a lot of blocking, I'll just stretch it gently to even it up a bit) and then seaming the rows together, and knitting the i-cord edging. 

The Hamamelis shawl is nearing completion, too. I'm on the border now, which is a garter stitch border with the odd purl stitch on the wrong side for textural patterning.  I love this yarn, Knitwitches Seriously Gorgeous Camel and Silk.  Wish I could capture the colour a little better, Sea Steel is a perfect description.  It's not blue!!

And Cria ...  well, it's progressing, but slowly.  I've bought a few extra balls of yarn, but its a different dye lot, so I will use these extra balls for the pocket lining and the cuffs, and possibly the garter stitch edging if I have to.  I've put the body stitches on hold whilst I knit a sleeve (to the cuffs) so that I have an idea of how much yarn I'll have left over from the sleeves, for the rest of the body.  I've tried it on, and it's not that great a fit at the top.  I ought to have started with a smaller size for shoulders and sleeve tops.   I'm hoping that if I pick up stitches around the neckline, decrease down and tightly cast off that that will pull the garment up.  I dont' like the tops fo the lseeves, either, too big IMO.  In fact, when i asked Mr C to take a photo, he asked me to stand sideways 'so that I can take a photo of the puffy sleeves'.  Urgh.   I've adjusted the  sleeve count to the next size down, and have started the sleeve decreases straight away, rather atha a few inches along.  I've also eliminated the purl seam sticth.  Wish I had done this on the side seams too, but I'm not pulling it all out now. 

 

And that's a dark, dull teal, not blue! 

I can't wait to get this off the needles, as I have yarn for another from this book, Chickade. next in line! 

What's on my needles

A quick post, knitting progress.

New socks.  Not patterned, as anticipated, but plain ones. I think the colour is Hawaii, though I shall have to look that up on ravelry!

Another shawl - this is Hamamelis, and the yarn is Knitwitches Camel and silk, the colour is called Steel Sea and is more green-grey than grey - mobile night shot!

and finally, Cria. I'm not on the body. Again, the colour is a teal, not nearly as grey as this!

I'm about to cast on another project, a blue and cream striped baby cardigan - my work colleague's daughter has had her baby, a boy, a whopping 9lbs 12oz.  I cannot imagine how she managed to deliver him! 

 

Knitting catch up

Well, despite not managing to complete five knitting goals this week, I do feel like I've done a load of knitting.

I failed in knitting a  leg and heel flap of my plain, boring colour socks.  That was due to not much carry-along knitting time though!  I could have worked on them over the weekend, but didn't really want to!

I also failed in the garment knitting - Christina, by Kim Hargreaves.  I've decided that the Aimee was a bit floppy for this (and my tension was way out!) so it's abandoned, temporarily. I do have plans for this, but now it's going to be either in the designated Rowan Cotton Glace, or some Elann cottong (ahem) winging its way to me from  Canada.

But on the plus side I managed to do all of  the rows I planned to for In Dreams, I'm really pleased with this!  I timed my rows.  On the right side, which is just knit stitches, yarnovers and double central decrases (which I am sorely fed up with) I can knit a rwo in 40 minutes,  But the purl sides, all those beads, are taking me 1hr and 35minutes!    Of course I often drop stitches when I'm trying to put a bead on a stitch, which is on the mesh parts!  

Never mind, I have just four rows to go, though that final row is ALL beads.  I reckon it's going to take me about 5-6 hours of knitting.   I'm not someone who sits and knits for hours either, I'll get up and potter, or get on the computer, or on the phone, so it  won't be a few evening's worth of knitting. 

We tried to take photos (in the rain!) - not great, but this is Mr C holding it up, you can see how large it is before blocking. My heart was in my mouth whilst taking the photos, Mr C was under very strict instructions to hold onto those needle tips and not let the slippery, beaded knitting fall off the points!

 My Magrathea shawl is coming along nicely. I managed the 15 repeats,  but the rows are getting longer!  The increases are in the garter stitch section, and the lace border is easy to memorise, so it's great tv knitting.

 

Mitred crosses - number six is done.  Looking good!

 

Now for this week I want to:

*Knit another mitred cross - this will be the seventh, and will be what I wanted to knit for June.

*Carry on knitting on my boring sock.  I'll stick to the leg and the heel flap this week, no pressure!

*Knit the final four rows of In Dreams, and cast off!

*Carry on knitting on Magrathea. 

I think I'll try to knit 5 repeats this week. Why?  Because I suspect some knitting time will be sucked up knitting on my newest wip, started late last night!  It's Cria, by Ysolda Teague.  Terrible mobile photo, but at the moment I just have two shoulders joined into a yoke, all scrunched up!  The yarn is Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino,  from stash.  The colour is teal, a brighter shade than shown here.  Late night mobile photo looks dull and a bit grey!

*I'm aiming to knit one ball of Baby Cashmerino this week, but i bet I do more!

Better get clicking those needles!

Knitting catch up

I'm trying (successfully) to keep my wips to five,  These are the five.

!) In Dreams shawl.  Still working on the final clue.  The rows are getting longer and beadier.  I'm aiming to finish another 12 this week, though it took me all day on Saturday to knit six!  The end is close, must keep going.

 

2) Mitred Crosses.  This is easy knitting, and I'm in no rush to finish.  I'm managing a square a week.  Square five is complete.

Much the same as the other four.

3) Plain Regia sock.  First sock knitted, as per last week's knitting goals.  Must take a photo!

4)  New  garment wip alert!  I intended knitting Devonshire in this yarn, Aimee, and Christina in Rowan Cotton Glace, but something happened last week, and Aimee jumped on the needles, for Christina!  I've knitted the border and started on the pattern.  The colour is a nicer pale green. Blame mobile and night lighting. I like to start on the back, gives me a wide piece of knitting, and I can adjust for the fronts if it's slightly off.

5)  IKL not just a sock club yarn. I fully intended knitting some fingerless gloves, but a shawl jumped onto the needles,  It's Magrathea by Martina Behm.  An edge to edge knitted shawl, lots of garter stich, which is a balance for In Dreams. 

Pleased that I managed to knit the weekly list last week,

This week it's much the same

1) In Dreams another 12 rows

2) Mitred crosses - square six

3)  Leg of second Regia sock

4) Christina - knit one ball. At least.

5) Magratea shawl, knit 15 8row repeats of the body (the garter stitch is increasing all the time...)

I am just dying to cast on another garment and another shawl,  I have so many nice shawl patterns yelling out to me at the moment.  I've just bought Ysolda Teague's Red knits in the city,  and want to cast on at least three of the designs, NOW.  But I shall resist. I'll wait until I've finished one of my five wips.  I wonder which one is the nearest to completion ....

It's all about Wollmeise

I seem to be having a Wollmeise moment.

First of all, the Wollmeise which I hope will become projects soon. 

The colours are MUCH more vibrant in real life, my camera isrefusing to cooperate!

This is Farn, which I hope to knit into a lace shawl,  I have a few patterns in mind, but haven't quite decided.

and this is laceweight in Rosenrot

It's far better looking in real lilfe! I jsut hope that I can capture the true colours when it's being knitted up.  This is (hopefully) going to be the yarn of choice for the In Dreams Mystery shawl kal.  I wasn't going to join, but I saw one in progress, went home and bought the pattern!  It uses 5000 beads, and I've ordered some red beads. I will wait until they arrive before winding the yarn, in case it's not quite right. 

 

The next two are now projects.

Herbivore in Miss May. 

and Blue Hands gloves in Natur and Jultomte.

Aren't they great? And so much fun!