The year of lists (and knits)

The year that was 2005 was fraught with changes, transitions, deaths, births, and new friendships. 2005 was the first year that I started blogging even though I’d been blogstalking others for years. Blogging has been very interesting as a form of communication and learning more about myself and others. By blogging, I was able to better categorize my knits and see just what I did accomplish knitting-wise, although it’s not really to see how much I did and then to try to improve it for next year, but just to see what all I did. If left to my own devices, my poor little brain just forgets it all.

What I accomplished knitting-wise this year:
1 poncho
baby blanket for Chason
Baby hat and baby socks for Chason
Blueberry Waffle socks (for me)
Earflap Cap (hat from Kittyville) for M2
Nursing shawl for sis
Tempting
Donna
Summer poncho
Rio Tank top
1 Katia Bonita tank
2 OSWs
1 Thandi Mohair Scarf
Clover Lace Rib socks (for sockapalooza pal)
2 baby raglan sweaters (one for Chason, one for Kieth)
M2’s shorty socks
1 pair fuzzy feet
Hippy-chic cardigan
1 pair cabled rib mittens
M’s hat
my hat
1 pair of handwarmers

WIPS carrying over to 2006:
1. Spork
2. Marilyn NSS cardi
3. M2 earflap hat v.2.0
4. baby raglan sweater
5. Sideways garter stitch scarf
6. Regia Strato stockinette sock (top-down)

Knitty resolutions for this year:
1. Knit more socks (I have enough yarn to make 24 pairs of socks!) Last year, I really slacked on the socks. This year, I want to make at least 8 pair of socks. Pretty ambitious, I know, but the sock stash needs to come down a bit. If I don’t make a significant dent in it this year, the sock bin may be revisited later on and some sock yarn sold or traded or just given away. There is alot of self-patterning yarn and I know some of that I’m just not as keen on anymore.

1a) Of those 8 socks, at least 3 pair should be knit using some sort of pattern and not just self-patterning and self-striping sock yarn, but an actual pattern. I think Jaywalker will be coming up soon.

1b) I have enough yarn to make two pairs of Lorna’s Laces socks as well as 4 hanks of Koigu KPPM to make socks. This year, I want to make socks using one type of each yarn this year. Yarn is to be used not to just rest in the stash for ages, especially the purple variegated Koigu KPPM which has been resting for at lest 4 years, time to be used or get gone!

2) Most of my resolutions are really related to socks. I do want to knit more sweaters, but I must start and complete M’s sweater this year. I also want to finish another if not 2 sweaters for me by this winter’s end. Libby from Rowan Cork Mag and Cavern Cardi from Cosmicpluto. I don’t really want to go too much further than that, as who knows what I will want to finish my next year’s end.

3) Knit more for Chason. Whatever that takes, it needs to be done. Once I finish something else, I do plan to make a pair of baby mittens for him.

4) Knit a pair of gloves. This is slightly frightening for me, so I definitely want to do it this winter.

5) Learn more techniques. I would really like to feel more comfortable with short-rowing, so I will probably apply it to socks as I’m thinking I might like the short-row heels better than the heel flap. With the making of the Jazz Fair Isle scarf, I will get to practice fair isle a bit more and I will be happy to do that. Practice cabling more (perhaps cabling without a needle) and learning to knit backwards. Those are the goals thus far, who know what else may be added.

6)Also knit the Debbie Bliss V-neck Tennis sweater this spring.

7) Make more cardigans, see the Cavern cardi above as well as for Spring/summer as I am always cold.

Make and finish a Clapotis.

Personal resolutions:

1) Treat those I love better. Keep in touch more with friends and family.

2) Exercise more. For health’s sake, I need to work out as well as trim some weight from this body. I am simply not meant to carry this much weight and I got off-track earlier this year and never really got back to what I was doing. Now is a good time to start.

3) Cook more homemade meals and eat healthier.

4) Make time for myself and M.

5) Read more.

I think that’s enough for now. If I keep going, there will that many more things that doesn’t get done for next year.

Things are looking up

First of all, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa to those that celebrated. Things are/were pretty merry for us this year. Santa came to visit and one child was the happy recipient of an iPod nano (and no that wasn’t for me!). And I had a job offer the week before Christmas, so Wanda was a very happy girl as well!

To celebrate the new job (which I started last Friday), I bought a little yarn! Really just a little, but String had some luscious Lorna’s Laces in the Shepherd Sport (or Worsted, I can’t remember) and some Koigu jumped into a bag and followed me home!

The Lorna’s Laces is the Shepherd Sport in Valentine colorway with no plans just yet for it. Perhaps a scarf? How could I resist the beautiful colors of Valentine? And the Koigu is so pretty to me, I just loved it. I was debating between the two and finally decided to just buy both. The Koigu will be a pair of gloves, using
Nona’s pattern for I-cord gloves. I think it’s an unique way of knitting gloves, with credit to Meg Swansen, and I want to try this “top-down” method of knitting gloves. Seeing the fingers done as i-cord makes gloves seem less scary to me.

In other stash enhancement news, I missed the sale at a LYS in town that was having a sale yesterday. For 2 hours, the sale was 30% off, but after getting up early to work at the part-time gig at EB on Monday, which was supposed to be only 4 hours of markdowns for the huge day after Xmas sale, I ended up being their for 7 hours, with no lunch break. Therefore getting up early yesterday for the sale was just unthinkable for my poor, tired body. And in case you’re wondering, I started the new job on Friday (1/2 day), then had Monday and Tuesday off. Today it’s back to the salt mines!

I have been knitting and was knitting somewhat fast and furious until mid-week last week and then it just slowed down. We were trying to get all the last-minute gifts together and my bf waits to the last-minute to shop for things anyway and it drives me crazy! Anyhow, in between all of that, I had 5 interviews last week (the week before Christmas!), which was really strange to me, but nonetheless that was a good thing as a job offer did pan out. And just in time before the unemployment bennies ran out completely.

M2’s hat is not finished, although this is the result of 2 days’ worth of knitting:

This is using the “Official Kitty62 hat”, and no, it will not have the pointy ears. But it is a great basic pattern with earflaps and icord dealies hanging down. I made one earlier this year in red/blue stripes, but he has a new winter coat and that hat doesn’t match. I’m pretty close to the top and doing decreases now, so I’ll soon be finished. I just need to switch over to dpns and I haven’t done it yet.

On Xmas day, I started a sock, just so I would have something small and portable to knit, so yes, there is another project on the needles, but this is not nearly as distressing as an actual sweater. I’ve decided to keep the sock in the car, in the case that I need some emergency knitting, when I’m not prepared I’ll have something handy. The colors are very pretty and it’s Regia Strato.

And just to show you that I have been working on Marilyn NSS, here’s a progress photo of that second sleeve:

And that sleeve has been finished since that picture was taken too. I guess it’s time to get the other buttonhole band done and then I’ll be done with the knitting. That’s my goal to get this thing finished before 2005, so now I know what I’ll be doing tonight, working on the buttonhole band. After that’s done, then I can block it and begin sewing in ends, but no seaming to be done. And of course tack down the hems. I’ve never done anything with a knitted hem before, any suggestions on how that’s done?

Other than that, I really want to get M2’s hat done soon, maybe by next week. As well as finishing the baby pullover and doing the seaming work for it and the other baby pullover for my nephew. Then I can cross a couple more off my list and have one more to do. But I’ll be pleased to have these finished.

Well off to work and all that. I’ll try to post again by the week’s end. If not, best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year!

Things are looking up

First of all, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa to those that celebrated. Things are/were pretty merry for us this year. Santa came to visit and one child was the happy recipient of an iPod nano (and no that wasn’t for me!). And I had a job offer the week before Christmas, so Wanda was a very happy girl as well!

To celebrate the new job (which I started last Friday), I bought a little yarn! Really just a little, but String had some luscious Lorna’s Laces in the Shepherd Sport (or Worsted, I can’t remember) and some Koigu jumped into a bag and followed me home!

The Lorna’s Laces is the Shepherd Sport in Valentine colorway with no plans just yet for it. Perhaps a scarf? How could I resist the beautiful colors of Valentine? And the Koigu is so pretty to me, I just loved it. I was debating between the two and finally decided to just buy both. The Koigu will be a pair of gloves, using
Nona’s pattern for I-cord gloves. I think it’s an unique way of knitting gloves, with credit to Meg Swansen, and I want to try this “top-down” method of knitting gloves. Seeing the fingers done as i-cord makes gloves seem less scary to me.

In other stash enhancement news, I missed the sale at a LYS in town that was having a sale yesterday. For 2 hours, the sale was 30% off, but after getting up early to work at the part-time gig at EB on Monday, which was supposed to be only 4 hours of markdowns for the huge day after Xmas sale, I ended up being their for 7 hours, with no lunch break. Therefore getting up early yesterday for the sale was just unthinkable for my poor, tired body. And in case you’re wondering, I started the new job on Friday (1/2 day), then had Monday and Tuesday off. Today it’s back to the salt mines!

I have been knitting and was knitting somewhat fast and furious until mid-week last week and then it just slowed down. We were trying to get all the last-minute gifts together and my bf waits to the last-minute to shop for things anyway and it drives me crazy! Anyhow, in between all of that, I had 5 interviews last week (the week before Christmas!), which was really strange to me, but nonetheless that was a good thing as a job offer did pan out. And just in time before the unemployment bennies ran out completely.

M2’s hat is not finished, although this is the result of 2 days’ worth of knitting:

This is using the “Official Kitty62 hat”, and no, it will not have the pointy ears. But it is a great basic pattern with earflaps and icord dealies hanging down. I made one earlier this year in red/blue stripes, but he has a new winter coat and that hat doesn’t match. I’m pretty close to the top and doing decreases now, so I’ll soon be finished. I just need to switch over to dpns and I haven’t done it yet.

On Xmas day, I started a sock, just so I would have something small and portable to knit, so yes, there is another project on the needles, but this is not nearly as distressing as an actual sweater. I’ve decided to keep the sock in the car, in the case that I need some emergency knitting, when I’m not prepared I’ll have something handy. The colors are very pretty and it’s Regia Strato.

And just to show you that I have been working on Marilyn NSS, here’s a progress photo of that second sleeve:

And that sleeve has been finished since that picture was taken too. I guess it’s time to get the other buttonhole band done and then I’ll be done with the knitting. That’s my goal to get this thing finished before 2005, so now I know what I’ll be doing tonight, working on the buttonhole band. After that’s done, then I can block it and begin sewing in ends, but no seaming to be done. And of course tack down the hems. I’ve never done anything with a knitted hem before, any suggestions on how that’s done?

Other than that, I really want to get M2’s hat done soon, maybe by next week. As well as finishing the baby pullover and doing the seaming work for it and the other baby pullover for my nephew. Then I can cross a couple more off my list and have one more to do. But I’ll be pleased to have these finished.

Well off to work and all that. I’ll try to post again by the week’s end. If not, best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year!

Things are looking up

First of all, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa to those that celebrated. Things are/were pretty merry for us this year. Santa came to visit and one child was the happy recipient of an iPod nano (and no that wasn’t for me!). And I had a job offer the week before Christmas, so Wanda was a very happy girl as well!

To celebrate the new job (which I started last Friday), I bought a little yarn! Really just a little, but String had some luscious Lorna’s Laces in the Shepherd Sport (or Worsted, I can’t remember) and some Koigu jumped into a bag and followed me home!

The Lorna’s Laces is the Shepherd Sport in Valentine colorway with no plans just yet for it. Perhaps a scarf? How could I resist the beautiful colors of Valentine? And the Koigu is so pretty to me, I just loved it. I was debating between the two and finally decided to just buy both. The Koigu will be a pair of gloves, using
Nona’s pattern for I-cord gloves. I think it’s an unique way of knitting gloves, with credit to Meg Swansen, and I want to try this “top-down” method of knitting gloves. Seeing the fingers done as i-cord makes gloves seem less scary to me.

In other stash enhancement news, I missed the sale at a LYS in town that was having a sale yesterday. For 2 hours, the sale was 30% off, but after getting up early to work at the part-time gig at EB on Monday, which was supposed to be only 4 hours of markdowns for the huge day after Xmas sale, I ended up being their for 7 hours, with no lunch break. Therefore getting up early yesterday for the sale was just unthinkable for my poor, tired body. And in case you’re wondering, I started the new job on Friday (1/2 day), then had Monday and Tuesday off. Today it’s back to the salt mines!

I have been knitting and was knitting somewhat fast and furious until mid-week last week and then it just slowed down. We were trying to get all the last-minute gifts together and my bf waits to the last-minute to shop for things anyway and it drives me crazy! Anyhow, in between all of that, I had 5 interviews last week (the week before Christmas!), which was really strange to me, but nonetheless that was a good thing as a job offer did pan out. And just in time before the unemployment bennies ran out completely.

M2’s hat is not finished, although this is the result of 2 days’ worth of knitting:

This is using the “Official Kitty62 hat”, and no, it will not have the pointy ears. But it is a great basic pattern with earflaps and icord dealies hanging down. I made one earlier this year in red/blue stripes, but he has a new winter coat and that hat doesn’t match. I’m pretty close to the top and doing decreases now, so I’ll soon be finished. I just need to switch over to dpns and I haven’t done it yet.

On Xmas day, I started a sock, just so I would have something small and portable to knit, so yes, there is another project on the needles, but this is not nearly as distressing as an actual sweater. I’ve decided to keep the sock in the car, in the case that I need some emergency knitting, when I’m not prepared I’ll have something handy. The colors are very pretty and it’s Regia Strato.

And just to show you that I have been working on Marilyn NSS, here’s a progress photo of that second sleeve:

And that sleeve has been finished since that picture was taken too. I guess it’s time to get the other buttonhole band done and then I’ll be done with the knitting. That’s my goal to get this thing finished before 2005, so now I know what I’ll be doing tonight, working on the buttonhole band. After that’s done, then I can block it and begin sewing in ends, but no seaming to be done. And of course tack down the hems. I’ve never done anything with a knitted hem before, any suggestions on how that’s done?

Other than that, I really want to get M2’s hat done soon, maybe by next week. As well as finishing the baby pullover and doing the seaming work for it and the other baby pullover for my nephew. Then I can cross a couple more off my list and have one more to do. But I’ll be pleased to have these finished.

Well off to work and all that. I’ll try to post again by the week’s end. If not, best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year!

And the winner is . . .

I neglected to mention in the last post, of my little mini-contest (thanks to those that entered) that the winners are Joanne and Carola! No points taken off for googling the answer, that’s why I gave the hint! I figured most people wouldn’t know that off the top of their head unless they happened to live there. I’ll be getting some packages in the mail soon. Well at least to Carola. Joanne lives in the Denver area, so I’ll have something for you soon too! Thanks for playing all!

Greetings from the Arctic Tundra

It’s been awhile since my last post. I would like to tell you that I’ve been terribly busy, and while I have been somewhat busy, I still could have posted. Mostly busting my hump to find a job, although there has been much knitting happening too. Mostly even with all the other stuff, I just wasn’t in the talking mood, per se, so no blogging ensued. But I felt like surfing blogs yesterday and today, so I knew I was in the mood to blog too.

When last we spoke, I was working on M’s hat and that one is now finished, but I never was able to catch him long enough to actually take a picture with him in it, but he does like the hat.

Since I’m in the hat-making business, I decided to use up the rest of my purple Cascade 220 to make myself a hat and use some of M’s charcoal grey Cascade 220 leftovers as stripes in the hat. The stripes were random and I’m totally loving this purple color. I don’t know what it is about this color, but it calls out to me. As usual, sorry for the goofy pic.

Amy hosted a contest last week (% days of Christmas) and I won a lovely prize from her. I never win anything and then I won a blog contest, so that was a lot of fun. She sent a great prize and of course, anything with candy goes fast. It was packaged so prettily and then of course everything was devoured.

inside of contents:

There were holiday mint M&M’s with peppermints (and I know how Amy loves her mint m&ms, I was surprised she could give some away), a copy of the Yarn Harlot’s first book and a tin of Apple Cider, which is something we love around here! Thanks again Amy! It was fun to play!

When I came back home in December, I decided I would get to work on those baby sweaters I’ve been promising. Since this picture, I’ve even finished those sleeves. Now all that is left to do is the front. In my mind I have a Christmas deadline, which is silly b/c I won’t even see the mother by then, but I’m plan to finish it at least before the end of the year. I still have one more to do, but I will work on it after the first of the year. I will do it either in baby blue Encore or perhaps the Oatmeal color, still unsure of that one.

And just to show you that I’m still knitting on Spork, a progress pic of it:

I’m putting it down for a bit, as the last time I knit on it (rather manically) my wrists began to hurt and since I plan to knit a hat for M2 before Xmas day and start on the sweater for M, that will sit in time-out for a bit. I also plan to knit on Marilyn a little bit today. Maybe make a bit of progress on the 2nd (3rd) sleeve.

That’s it from the nuthouse . .

And the winner is . . .

I neglected to mention in the last post, of my little mini-contest (thanks to those that entered) that the winners are Joanne and Carola! No points taken off for googling the answer, that’s why I gave the hint! I figured most people wouldn’t know that off the top of their head unless they happened to live there. I’ll be getting some packages in the mail soon. Well at least to Carola. Joanne lives in the Denver area, so I’ll have something for you soon too! Thanks for playing all!

Greetings from the Arctic Tundra

It’s been awhile since my last post. I would like to tell you that I’ve been terribly busy, and while I have been somewhat busy, I still could have posted. Mostly busting my hump to find a job, although there has been much knitting happening too. Mostly even with all the other stuff, I just wasn’t in the talking mood, per se, so no blogging ensued. But I felt like surfing blogs yesterday and today, so I knew I was in the mood to blog too.

When last we spoke, I was working on M’s hat and that one is now finished, but I never was able to catch him long enough to actually take a picture with him in it, but he does like the hat.

Since I’m in the hat-making business, I decided to use up the rest of my purple Cascade 220 to make myself a hat and use some of M’s charcoal grey Cascade 220 leftovers as stripes in the hat. The stripes were random and I’m totally loving this purple color. I don’t know what it is about this color, but it calls out to me. As usual, sorry for the goofy pic.

Amy hosted a contest last week (% days of Christmas) and I won a lovely prize from her. I never win anything and then I won a blog contest, so that was a lot of fun. She sent a great prize and of course, anything with candy goes fast. It was packaged so prettily and then of course everything was devoured.

inside of contents:

There were holiday mint M&M’s with peppermints (and I know how Amy loves her mint m&ms, I was surprised she could give some away), a copy of the Yarn Harlot’s first book and a tin of Apple Cider, which is something we love around here! Thanks again Amy! It was fun to play!

When I came back home in December, I decided I would get to work on those baby sweaters I’ve been promising. Since this picture, I’ve even finished those sleeves. Now all that is left to do is the front. In my mind I have a Christmas deadline, which is silly b/c I won’t even see the mother by then, but I’m plan to finish it at least before the end of the year. I still have one more to do, but I will work on it after the first of the year. I will do it either in baby blue Encore or perhaps the Oatmeal color, still unsure of that one.

And just to show you that I’m still knitting on Spork, a progress pic of it:

I’m putting it down for a bit, as the last time I knit on it (rather manically) my wrists began to hurt and since I plan to knit a hat for M2 before Xmas day and start on the sweater for M, that will sit in time-out for a bit. I also plan to knit on Marilyn a little bit today. Maybe make a bit of progress on the 2nd (3rd) sleeve.

That’s it from the nuthouse . .

And the winner is . . .

I neglected to mention in the last post, of my little mini-contest (thanks to those that entered) that the winners are Joanne and Carola! No points taken off for googling the answer, that’s why I gave the hint! I figured most people wouldn’t know that off the top of their head unless they happened to live there. I’ll be getting some packages in the mail soon. Well at least to Carola. Joanne lives in the Denver area, so I’ll have something for you soon too! Thanks for playing all!

Greetings from the Arctic Tundra

It’s been awhile since my last post. I would like to tell you that I’ve been terribly busy, and while I have been somewhat busy, I still could have posted. Mostly busting my hump to find a job, although there has been much knitting happening too. Mostly even with all the other stuff, I just wasn’t in the talking mood, per se, so no blogging ensued. But I felt like surfing blogs yesterday and today, so I knew I was in the mood to blog too.

When last we spoke, I was working on M’s hat and that one is now finished, but I never was able to catch him long enough to actually take a picture with him in it, but he does like the hat.

Since I’m in the hat-making business, I decided to use up the rest of my purple Cascade 220 to make myself a hat and use some of M’s charcoal grey Cascade 220 leftovers as stripes in the hat. The stripes were random and I’m totally loving this purple color. I don’t know what it is about this color, but it calls out to me. As usual, sorry for the goofy pic.

Amy hosted a contest last week (% days of Christmas) and I won a lovely prize from her. I never win anything and then I won a blog contest, so that was a lot of fun. She sent a great prize and of course, anything with candy goes fast. It was packaged so prettily and then of course everything was devoured.

inside of contents:

There were holiday mint M&M’s with peppermints (and I know how Amy loves her mint m&ms, I was surprised she could give some away), a copy of the Yarn Harlot’s first book and a tin of Apple Cider, which is something we love around here! Thanks again Amy! It was fun to play!

When I came back home in December, I decided I would get to work on those baby sweaters I’ve been promising. Since this picture, I’ve even finished those sleeves. Now all that is left to do is the front. In my mind I have a Christmas deadline, which is silly b/c I won’t even see the mother by then, but I’m plan to finish it at least before the end of the year. I still have one more to do, but I will work on it after the first of the year. I will do it either in baby blue Encore or perhaps the Oatmeal color, still unsure of that one.

And just to show you that I’m still knitting on Spork, a progress pic of it:

I’m putting it down for a bit, as the last time I knit on it (rather manically) my wrists began to hurt and since I plan to knit a hat for M2 before Xmas day and start on the sweater for M, that will sit in time-out for a bit. I also plan to knit on Marilyn a little bit today. Maybe make a bit of progress on the 2nd (3rd) sleeve.

That’s it from the nuthouse . .