2012 Goals and Stuff

So, after I signed off on my last post about a month ago, I said I would post more but I haven't yet. I did, however, mention that I'd be updating about what my plans were for the upcoming year.

In 2010, I laid out a long list of "knitting resolutions" that were all pretty detailed and then I failed pretty spectacularly on them. In 2011, I never laid out any "knitting resolutions," but then I didn't accomplish as much as I hoped (though the elbow problems in early 2011 didn't help much).

This year's "knitting resolutions" are very simple.

1. Stash down.

2. Knit AT LEAST 15k of yarn this year.

Now, how I go about stashing down is pretty open-ended. I'm even part of a stashdown group on Ravelry (the Pre-Process Knitters), so I'm keeping track of my yarn in/out as well as my actual knitting.

With 15k yards of yarn to knit this year, it comes out to roughly 1250 yards per month. This does, however, ONLY include FOs (finished objects).

January's total yardage knit: 859 yards...okay, so I didn't hit my goal of 1250 yards in January. Oops.

That being said, however, I have a lot of high yardage projects going right now, rather than smaller projects that don't take up a lot of yardage. So if when I finish those, it'll mean more yardage down!

So what projects made up those 859 yards?

First was a hat that I made for my Dad, using the Man Hat pattern. This pattern is absolutely great, in my opinion a nice twist on the standards K1,P1 ribbed hat. Pattern called for a bulky weight yarn, so I started by using some KP Wool of the Andes Bulky that I had on hand, but I didn't care for the fabric it was making and I wasn't too sure about the color (Emerald) either. I didn't have any other bulky yarn on hand so I checked the project notes on Ravelry and decided to give it a try using a worsted weight. I actually had bought some Wool of the Andes worsted in Mist (a solid, non-heathered gray) at the end of 2010 to make a hat for my Dad but never got around to it. Since the bulky weight version called for 64 stitches, I tried 96 stitches for the worsted weight version. Other than that, no mods to the pattern except to do some extra rounds of decreasing at the crown to adjust for the extra stitches. I have been meaning to get a picture of the hat but haven't yet and won't for at least another week as the hat recipient is in Jamaica till next Saturday. :)

The next pattern was a long-unfinished WIP, affectionately named the Christmas Cowl (of DOOM). I used the Chrysalis Cowl pattern that I got on the back of a package from Jimmy Beans Wool. Unfortunately for me, I didn't use the yarn that the pattern called for or even anything close. I bought some Plymouth Mulberry Merino yarn at the Knitting Knook last December because it was shiny and soft and a really pretty red (color 2060). I liked the idea of the yarn because it was single ply wool and silk blend like Malabrigo Silky Merino, but instead of being a DK weight it is worsted weight. Unfortunately, the similarities stop there. Plymouth Mulberry Merino is extremely loosely spun so my cowl started pilled even before I finished knitting it. It was also very splitty, so if I ever use it again (not likely) I'd use a much pointier needle. The yarn stuck to itself like crazy so I had a very difficult unknitting and when it came to securing my bind off it was a DISASTER. The ends didn't stay buried very well, which isn't that big of a deal to me since I usually use a drop of clear nail polish to secure my ends anyway, but it was still disappointing. I did not block my cowl because I was afraid my joins would come undone. I think it's okay because silk grows a lot, and the cowl is a good size anyway.

The pattern however, was a very nice one. It calls for a 90 stitch cast on, but I doubled it to make it long so I could wrap it around my neck more than once, and I only did 5 pattern repeats instead of 6. I think it would be great with a semi-solid yarn like the Tosh Vintage that it calls for. It has some simple eyelet rows and some garter stitch rather than being straight stockinette. A really basic pattern, I would consider knitting it again, actually. Just no way would I use the same yarn again!

A picture of the cowl wrapped:

Unwrapped:

(please excuse the bad pictures...)

I do wear the cowl quite a bit, but I'm knitting another cowl (using a different pattern) right now and using a plied yarn instead of a single. I'm thinking (hoping) this one will hold up better!

My last project for January was one I've knitted many of before- the Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief. I used some KP City Tweed DK in Emerald Isle. It's a very lovely green, and the yarn is very soft! I do not, however, have any post-blocking pictures because I haven't blocked it yet. I have just been lazy. :) But I did buy some blocking wires (FINALLY!) thanks to a LivingSocial deal to Overstock.com (woo-hoo!).

I really liked working with the City Tweed DK, so I am curious to see how it blocks up. My very Age of Brass and Steam (make out of Malabrigo Silky Merino) is still holding up great- I probably wear it the most out of any of my shawls.

So that's what I accomplished in January, finished-object-wise.

I did start a number of projects during the last month or so:

Sapphire Sky Stole- Tree & Sky Lace Stole (rav link), using Elann Peruvian Baby Silk in Sapphire (a rich blue). Progress has been slow...for some reason, the edging is kicking my ass. :)

Rios Cowl- Honey Cowl (rav link), using Malabrigo Rios in Purpuras. This was part of a KAL in the Pre-Process Knitters group, the group that is hosting our 2012 Stashdown. I am working on the bind-off right now, so should have another 400 yards down as well as another awesome finished object cowl!

Lady Ice Queen(a)- Lady Kina sweater pattern (rav link), using KP WotA in Lake Ice Heather. Lovely color of yarn, it's a heathered silver gray with hints of blue. This is a top-down sweater, so the rows at the top of the sweater are very, very long. :) One the sleeves are separated, I'm hoping the sweater will go much faster.

Smoothie Scarf- Potato Chip Scarf, using KP Chroma Worsted in Smoothie. I got this yarn in a trade for some other Chroma Worsted yarn. The color is VERY bright. I originally thought I would make a worsted weight shawl out of this, but the colors are just too much. A potato chip scarf will be a nice accessory without being overboard on the color.

Forest Green Hat- Another Man Hat, using Malabrigo Worsted Merino in Forest Green. Pretty much done with this, just need to get out my DPNs to shape the crown.

Neapoli-Shawl- Another 22.5 Degrees (rav link) using some CraftsMeow Ice Cream Sundae in Strawberry Twist (pink and brown with hints of white). It's a good "purse project" for now, easy repeats and straight garter stitch.

Mystery Project- Using some yarn, and a knitting needle. :)

Happy 2012!

I really dislike New Year's Resolutions, apparently. I dislike them so much that I defy doing them for OVER A YEAR.

Yes, readers (if there are any), on January 1, 2011 I promised I would write up and post my 2011 Knitting Resolutions. And then....I didn't. I didn't post my 2011 Knitting Resolutions...nor did I blog here at all.

So on January 9, 2012...I'm actually updating this thing again.

Truth be told: 2011 sucked monkey balls. Early on in the year, my elbow started acting up which made knitting pretty painful. If I did knit at all, it was small projects and even so, not a whole lot got done. So I started reading books at an alarmingly fast rate since I needed SOMETHING to do that didn't involve using my elbow and wrists (knitting and anything computer related wasn't so popular).

Disclaimed: Post is very long! I also did not bother to link patterns or yarn, but every project that I listed has a project page on my Ravelry account. Feel free to check it out there, otherwise if you're interested in a pattern and where to get it, leave a comment and I'll let you know!

So from January through March, I didn't knit much at all. What I did instead: read (a lot!) and buy cotton yarn (also a lot!). Why cotton yarn? Because despite my best efforts, Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co is no longer. Bah, humbug. They were bought out in February. Naturally, I had to stock up. I mean, I cannot be expected to suffer with inferior cotton yarn for the rest of my life. So I may have gone a bit overboard on stockpiling cotton yarn....I'm okay with that, though.

I did do a bit of knitting from January to March. Lots of starting, not so much finishing though. On January 1, 2011 I started a Baktus Scarf with some Kauni Wool Effektgarn in EQ (rainbow!) and Solid in DD2 (navy blue). It still languishes on the needles. On January 12, I started a Saroyan in Malabrigo Silky Merino, but the skeins don't match very well and I'm lazy and don't want to unravel so I just haven't finished it at all. On January 23, I did FINISH my mom's 2010 Christmas present, a Citron in Malabrigo Lace. I do not have photographic proof of a finished object, though.

On February 2, I decided to start a reversible cable cowl out of Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky. I knitted the whole thing! Unfortunately, it needed to be grafted together and that just did not happen without some tear shedding, some throwing the project across the room, some violent frogging and some selling of the yarn. After that, I started a dishcloth. But it hurt my hands, so it's still on the needles, in a box somewhere.

Finally in March, I started AND finished a project. I knit the Hat Fit for a Boyfriend pattern out of KP Wool of the Andes in Spruce with intentions of giving it to Andy, but I ended up donating it to a Knitters for Obama project to give all of the Wisconsin Democratic senators/assembly reps for all of their work during the Scott Walker Union Fiasco. March 3 I started my Malabrigo March project - a 198 Yards of Heaven Shawl out of Mal Worsted in Azul Bolita. I happily knitted along until I ran out of yarn on the last row before the bindoff (guess it wasn't 198 yards since Mal Worsted has 210 yards in a skein!). I actually HAD another skein of the same color, but I just never got around to winding it in March. In mid-March, I decided to do another Malabrigo March project, the Adelei Shawl. This was inspired by my extremely strong desire to have a shawl to wear to church on Easter (the adult knitter equivalent of an Easter dress), and my curiosity on adding beads to shawls. I started the shawl, did all of the increases and started the lace portion. Failed. Frogged. Started again. Did all the increases and started the lace portion. Failed even more spectacularly the 2nd time around. Frogged again. Might have cried. Gave up. At the end of March, I did get some good news- found out I won 2 skeins of Malabrigo Worsted in the Mr. Yarn Mal March giveaway contest. Yay! Got a skein of Pagoda and Sapphire Green (and both were already wound). Cast on for another 198 Yards of Heaven with Sapphire Green and used a smaller size needle so finished with yarn leftover. Blocked, and gave to my mother for Mother's Day. No photographic proof. I finished 3 projects between January and March and did not get a single picture of any of them. No, really, I did finish them.

April brought Easter. Remember that overwhelming desire to have a shawl to wear for Easter? It motivated me to bring out my Traveling Woman shawl and finish it. So I did. Unfortunately, I finished this shawl prior to learning about the wonder that is Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bindoff, so blocking this thing was a bitch. I need to reblock it now that it's been a number of months and I just don't want to. But I finished it in time for Easter. And I have a picture!

After Easter and discovering that hey, shawls might actually be the most awesome thing ever, I started another one. This one was the Ishbel shawl, knitted out of Malabrigo Lace in Indigo. I finished the actual knitting of this in May, but didn't block it until July. And, I must confess- I've never worn it. But I have a picture!

I was so excited by my success with Ishbel, that I cast on for yet ANOTHER shawl, the Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief, with yet another Malabrigo yarn- this time the Silky Merino in Blackberry. Of all the shawls I've knit both before and since, I wear this one the most. It is a great shawl, very versatile. I can wear it for both a casual and dressy look. I did not, however, block this one till July. Blocking is actually easier for me when it's hot because then I block it while the a/c is running, and it dries faster. :)

In May, I started my Winter Flame scarf using Malabrigo sock in Cote d'Azure for a shawl swap. It took me forever because the pattern was so damn boring that it was getting painful to work on after a while. The yarn was lovely though. I didn't finish the scarf till the end of June, and I never got a picture of it before I mailed it to my swap partner.

In June, I started another Traveling Woman using some merino/silk sock yarn in Indigo from an indie dyer, and another Citron out of Malabrigo lace in Velvet Grapes. Neither are done. At the end of June, I decided to use the Malabrigo sock from the ill-fated Adelei Shawl and use it for a Spring Shawl! Much better choice. Took forever to finish the last few rows, so I didn't finish it until September. But I do wear it a lot!

In July, I started my first pair of socks, using Cherry Tree Hill Fingerpaints in Black Cherry. I knitted and knitted and knitted and ripped a bit, and knitted some more and finished 1 sock. Yay! Unfortunately, I have second sock syndrome really bad, so I haven't started the 2nd sock yet. The end of July I started a Sunrise Shawlette with KP Chroma Fingering in U-Pick, but it's not done.

In August I started the Hestia Cardigan out of DiC Smooshy in Bermuda Teal, but it's also not done (17 inches of stockinette before even starting the sleeve shaping? I must be mad).

At the beginning of September it got to be about 90 degrees so I did what any normal knitter would do- I started a hat out of wool. I made the Hurricane Hat out of Patons Wool in Royal Purple. It's a great pattern, and a cute hat. However, upon wearing the hat when I was in northern Wisconsin on an outdoor tour that required some walking around on the shore of Lake Michigan, I discovered that the ribbing was actually a bit too loose on my head, and the cold air wasn't exactly staying out. So now it's not really a useful hat, but it is cute to wear.

After I finished the hat, I started another Saroyan with more Malabrigo Silky, this time in Matisse Blue. It's still not done. After that, I started the Noro Striped Scarf using 2 skeins of KP Chroma Worsted in Prism (I started 1 skein at red, and the other skein at green so the colors never match up). It's a traveling project that I bring along for times when I have a free minute here or there, it's really mindless to just knit a row here and there. Then I started the Chrysalis Cowl out of Plymouth Mulberry Merino but didn't finish it in 2011 (I just finished it, so will talk about it in a future blog post). At the end of September, I started the 22.5 Degrees shawlette out of KP Imagination in Seven Dwarves. I decided I needed another traveling project to switch out with my Prism Striped Scarf. This one should be done soon though, I put my striped scarf into a bin for a few months and didn't knit on it at all, so this was my only traveling project for a while. But the last rows are really.freaking.long, and the needles and yarn are really.freaking.small.

October was Malabrigo Stockpile! I only finished one project for stockpile but it was an awesome project and I love the finished object. It was Azzu's Shawl and I used Malabrigo sock in Terracotta. Awesome, awesome shawl...affectionately named the Bat Shawl because of it's shape when I was blocking it.

After I finished the Bat Shawl, I started a Harry Shawl using KP Chroma Worsted in Midwinter. Awesome shawl, really really warm. No picture though.

My big project was to knit a sweater in October. I had grand plans of wearing the sweater when Andy & I went out of town at the end of October. I didn't start the sweater until October 18 though. Because I totally thought I would be able to knit a full sweater in 10 days? Even with bulky yarn...yep, not possible. I'm working on the sleeves. Still.

Didn't knit much in November, but found some Holiday Homespun in a really pretty deep red that had sparkly strands running through it, so I decided to start a throw, named the Christmas Blanket. Not done by Christmas, but again, I wasn't expecting to be done by Christmas. I knit a row here or there- I'm just using the Diagonal Baby Blanket pattern but only doing 1 stitch before the YOs so I can crochet a border on when I'm done.

In December I made some plans to knit the Age of Brass & Steam Kerchief as Christmas presents for my mom and sister. I didn't have any yarn that I wanted to use for this, so I had to order more. So I got choice #1, some KP City Tweed DK in Emerald Isle for my mom's shawl. It's a nice yarn, but it wasn't really what I was looking for and then I realized that I had knitted my mom 2 shawls already and both were in green. I was more than halfway through the shawl though, so uh...I'm keeping it. So...back to the drawing board. Bought some KP Gloss DK in Blackberry for my mom's shawl. I figured I had used 2 skeins (~300 yards) of Malabrigo Silky for my shawl but I had run out of yarn a few rows early since I did an extra repeat. I wanted to make sure I could knit all the rows, including the extra repeat, so I got 3 skeins (~375 yards) of Gloss DK. Aaaaaaaaand I ran out of yarn. And KP was out. I got 1/2 skein from a kind Raveler, but it didn't come until after Christmas. I finished that shawl up on December 30th, but I just gave it to my mom this past Saturday, because I wanted to knit something for my Dad too. I didn't get a picture of the shawl before I gave it away.

Just over a week before Christmas I decided I needed a red shawl/scarf to wear on Christmas Eve. I had some Gloss DK in Cranberry, so I knitted myself the Chinook Scarf. I finished binding off on December 23, soaked it, and finished pinning it out on December 24 at about 4am, just over 12 hours before I had to be at church for Christmas Eve. I put the space heater in front of my shawl, and I just made it. Too bad the thing curls like mad. I'm going to reblock it more aggressively and see what happens, but no pictures in the meantime.

My final project of the year was a Snuggery Shawl, using Malabrigo sock in Solis. I started it Christmas Day while the Packer game was on. I'm not done with it, but that's okay....

So! All in all I started 30 projects in 2011, and only finished 14. A 46% success rate. Ah well.

In 2012, I have some big plans already, as well as a few finished objects already! I'm off to a way better start.

If you made it all the way through this post, congratulations! You deserve a cookie. Go get one, and enjoy it guilt-free!

Happy Knitting!