1/5/2006
I’m a little shy of reaching the toe decreases and I’m a little bummed, but I think I’ll still be on track to have an FO Friday tomorrow!
This holiday was mostly money and gift certificates, so very little in the way of fibery stuff. Though my sister did get me a Woolen Treasures gift certificate that I mentioned yesterday. Then, my mom got me Deborah Newton’s Designing Knitwear. I have only skimmed it, but it looks like a great book that perhaps goes behind designing sweaters like many of the other books out there. I’m excited to dig into it.
I did also get a nice gift certificate to Barnes & Noble from my in-laws. I had a few knitting books on my wishlist that I thought I would order with it, though I’m hesitating because they are marked down significantly on Amazon and not at all on B&N or the books aren’t available there at all. So, I may or may not get knitting books with it. Perhaps I’ll just keep it in my wallet and use it whenever I decide I need to get a magazine off the rack or something…
Now, of course the best fiber-related gift I got was the ordering of a Bently chair and ottoman (in a slightly darker and more neutral brown) that will serve as my fibery throne when it arrives in 8-10 weeks. No more sitting in the crack of the loveseat or removing lint from it. And, I’ll be able to soak in the southern exposure of that room in the winter and properly process my vitamin D while knitting, spinning, and reading!
I have some colorful yarn to show off that I got just before the holidays for accessorizing my new coat, but I couldn’t get good shots yesterday and now my batteries are needing to charge. But, tomorrow should be an FO Friday if everything goes as it should today.
Also, if you’re a reader, please help me improve my reading list for 2006 by letting me know your most enjoyed classics. I was *terrible* about reading any classics last year and I’d like to improve that some this year.
1/4/2006
Despite the reciept of a gift certificate to Woolen Treasures yesterday, I didn’t buy any fibery goodness as I *knew* that would lead to my not following through with the intentions stated yesterday. I knew once I had new yarn in my hands I would be compelled to cast on something new and I am going to stitck to making the mates to my orphan socks and mitten! For, it is Mating Month! (*snicker*)
I crawled on the leg of this sock for a very long time. In fact, I’m pretty sure I cast on for sock number 2 right away so that was back in July if I recall correctly. But, over Christmas holidays I got an inch or two done, then was able to finish the heel flap on New Year’s day and the gusset at SnB on Monday night and I’m about 1/2 long the instep and will hopefully be closing in on the toe perhaps by this evening???
I only got to knit about four rounds yesterday. So, really most of that foot was knit on Monday between SnB and socializing afterwards with people visiting from Portland and Illinois. I kind of overdid it. That seems to be a common problem for me with this pattern. I’m not sure if it is the US0 needles or the stitch pattern or just the combination of both. I’m getting a tighter gauge on this second one too, LOL! I think it’s because these were the socks that killed my Swallow Caesin needles - of the 5 in the package, I have 2 that are not broke. So, I’m on metal ones now from Wright that I picked up at one of the Hobby Lobby 1/2 off sales so that I could buy two packs so I would have 5 needles to use (they are sold in sets of 4). But, the sock will probably fit better than #1 as this ribbing is *very* stretchy and I like my socks somewhat snug.
This evening DH starts with his writing group. They will be meeting the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. So, I think tonight I will be heading over to knit at Textiles a Mano. I’ve been home alone soooo much lately because my back/neck have been acting up and while I’m still not feeling stellar in that department, I know socializing often helps somewhat just because it lifts my mood a bit so instead of staying home all by myself I might as well get out of the house since there is something going on that I would enjoy doing. So, I will likely be going the 1st and 3rd Monday evenings for sure.
1/3/2006
Happy 2006! It seems the holidays have taken heavy tolls on many in (just to name a few) blog land so here is hoping that 2006 is better year for everyone!
Like many of you, I’ve taken some time to look back on my knitting accomplishments this past year. I don’t have nearly as many FO’s to count. It was definitely the year of felting and of small accessories for me. I did start out on the path to some garments, but kind of dropped the ball when it came to finishing. Actually I’m finding that I have quite a number of unfinished items hanging around now with the new year.
I have an ever-so-close to being down Skyway Scoop, I have two socks without mates, one mitten without a mate, one lace shawl somewhat in progress but needing tinking to try find the error, and one long sleeve pull-over sweater that I suspect is about 1/3 done, but got sidelined when the pattern wasn’t quite specific enough and I waited for a response from the designer for a few weeks and then was caught up in other “must complete now” projects which were followed closely by the holiday knitting.
I’m sure some of my decrease in FO’s can be attributed to the taking on of these larger projects than I had tackled in 2004. I also suspect some of it can be attributed to having added spinning to the list of fibery pursuits as well. In fact, I’ve spun 264-yds of singles and 1594 yds of 2-ply. This excludes all the spinning done in the class I took in Boulder in August. Because I was one class from having a double major with math, I had to do a little further figuring…
264 yds + 2 * (1594) + 1594 = 5046 yds to pass through the spinning wheel, assuming that 2-ply yarn is exactly half of the singles, which isn’t quite true, but close enough. That is just shy of 3 miles of fiber which would nearly get me to the SnB watering hole of Catalyst Coffee! Though I do wish my wheel hadn’t been collecting dust so much during November and December, but that holiday gift thing kind of kept me away. Now, I’m itching to get back, but can’t make a decision on what fiber to use…
While it seems to me that I didn’t accomplish as much as I would have liked, I did manage to release four knitting patterns for sale as well as two free patterns in 2005. That isn’t too bad and I have to say for being a rather low rated and new knitting blog my sales on the sock patterns have been pretty good. So, that is something to be proud of.
As I mentioned previously, I do have some goals for 2006. But, before I jump into those headlong, I’ve decided to heed the cliche - out with old and in with the new. I’m declaring January as clean-up month. Now, I don’t expect to get everything that is on the needles wrapped up, but I would like to complete the mates to the two socks and the mitten by the end of the month and perhaps finally finish Skyway (though I have to say I’m not so excited about that because firstly it is quitely likely going to be much too big now that I’m 35-lbs lighter and it is a tank top and it is January). I’m going to try my best to only allow myself to cast on for a hat for DH’s birthday until those lonely socks and mitten have mates. Though making of said hat might not happen either since he isn’t wearing the scarf he had specifically asked for last year for his birthday. I haven’t decided yet and his birthday isn’t until the 25th so I’ve got some time to decide if I think it’ll get used and if DH is worthy of the soft, yummy alpaca/silk/merino handspun goodness. (Given that with the assitance of mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa paying a little over half of the total I will have this new knitting chair and ottoman [in a different color] in the upstairs where there is sunlight in 8-10 weeks, he probably does deserve it, but he has a beret he wears all the time and forbode me to knit a tam for him last year and I’m not sure he’d wear a stocking cap much and when I mentioned gloves which I was first planning for when I spun the yarn he didn’t seem too interested in those either… - how is that for a run-on???)
This weekend, DH brought to my attention that fact that my sister hadn’t forgotten me for the holidays (which I wasn’t upset about as usually she gets around to sending something when my birthday comes around in April and she started a brand new job just two weeks ago and was moving so I wasn’t expecting anything on time). But, it seems she enlisted DH’s help and it all somehow involves Woolen Treasures. However, she set it up, then needed to call them presumably to pay for it and when she gave the go-ahead to DH he was sick so never got over ther. So, he has promised me lunch at one of my favorite restaurants in Loveland tomorrow which is right up the street from Wool Treasures and then we’ll be going over there to obtain this mysterious gift that DH has been teasing me about all weekend long. He has assured me that I would love it and that he helped her (I’m presuming in ways beyond forgetting to pick it up)… So, probably some fun fibery news of some sort will be ready to report on tomorrow.
