Well as I promised, I'm going to do a (probably relatively quick) follow up on my 2010 Knitting Resolutions! Sometime this weekend I am going to figure out my 2011 Knitting Resolutions and post them too! :)
1. Reduce my stash and try not to buy more yarn unless there is a very specific project in mind for said yarn.
Wow, I honestly can't think of anything I failed more miserably at. Ah well. I discovered my passion for natural fibers in 2010, and a fair amount of my stash previously was acrylic. That being said, I am by no means a yarn snob. My favorite place to get natural fiber yarn is Knit Picks. I love their Wool of the Andes so very very much. I also like Patons Classic Wool which has a great price point if you wait for sales at Joanns or Michaels. Anyway, I now have a fair amount of stuff stashed away....I think 2011 is going to be the year of the yarn diet. I even started tweeting with the hashtag #yarndiet2011. Now I HAVE to stick to it. :)
2. Knit at least 10 things from my queue since I have been adding stuff to my queue pretty much non stop since I joined Ravelry (in July 2007!) and I haven't knitted many things from my queue.
I went back a re-read this. I just wrote to "knit 10 things from my queue," I specified nothing about FINISHING them. I did start knitting 10 items from my queue this year- the Sutro Heights Hat, Simple Burp Cloth (ended up being a hand towel), Waffle Knit Dishcloth (in a burp cloth size which ended up being a hand towel), the Fantasy Naturale Market Bag, the Lingonberry Scarf, the Citron, the February Lady Sweater, the Traveling Woman Shawl, the Clapotis, and the Autumn Red Lace Scarf. And I finished 6 of the 10 items! I'd say I succeeded.
3. Learn Magic Loop.
Hm. I sort-of succeeded. I started a hat with Magic Loop. I didn't finish the hat because the hat pattern I picked out had too many yarn overs. This will most likely not be a problem when I am more proficient at Magic Loop, but I was having a very difficult time doing yarn overs when the yarn over was in between the two stitches that were separated by the excess cable. However, I am going to do a "plain vanilla hat" soon since it's effing cold out, and I'm going to try and find a top down one. So I call this a half-success, half-failure. Though again, I just said I would learn Magic Loop, not that I would actually finish an item using it. :) It's a Magic-Loophole! (har har har)
4. Learn how to make socks.
Didn't happen. Fail.
5. Do a Lace Project.
I did a project out of lace yarn (a Citron) that wasn't very lacy, and I did projects out of fingering yarn (Lingonberry Scarf) and worsted weight yarn (Twilight Mist Wrap) that were very lacy. I'll say this one was a success!
6. Knit a sweater.
I started and finished 75% of a sweater. I did not, however, finish the sleeves. I'll say this is a half-success....
7. Work on a crochet project.
Yes indeed, I worked on one (didn't finish it...I'm really sensing a theme here!). With any luck I'm going to try and finish it by April.
9. Knit/crochet a blanket for myself.
I did do this. But I did not finish. I also did not plan on finishing. I am doing a lovely feather & fan afghan. I really like the colors, but I do not like working with the yarn, it's like knitting with barbed wire. Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic...it's like knitting with twine! So I am doing a very small amount at a time. I am also in no huge hurry to finish this. If I finish it by 2012, I will be happy.
10. Plan Xmas knitting prior to November.
I planned it, but I planned on starting in September. Thanks to the nature of my work schedule that didn't happen, and I didn't fully start until November. However- unlike in years past, I did not make Xmas knitting plans a "OMG I MUST DO THIS AND I WILL FINISH IT NO MATTER WHAT EVEN IF IT MEANS I DON'T SLEEP ALL WEEK!" I had initially planned to knit 3 hats, and 2 shawls. I only finished 1 shawl, and got very very close to finishing the 2nd shawl (and I probably would have finished the 2nd shawl, if it hadn't been for that WONDERFUL cold that plagued me for the entire week before Christmas....*shoots dirty look at cold germs*). The hats were put on the back burner. I'm not upset about it- the hats were deliberately planned to be a "if I get around to it, awesome, if not, oh well, I have other presents to give." So I'd say it was a success. (And the 2nd shawl is currently being bound off...only about 3/5ths left of the stitches to bind off, and it was for my mother, who is understanding!)
11. Take pictures of the Wedding Roses Filet Crochet Afghan.
I totally rocked this. I even took the pictures in January! And about halfway through the year, the photos were added to the pattern page on Ravelry. So what if mine is the only project?? :)
I am working on my 2011 Knitting Resolutions. I think I will try and keep out magic-loopholes from these though! :) Happy 2011!
