Archive for category Knitting Goals
41 Days ’til Christmas
Posted by singularknitter in Knitting Goals, Seasonal Crafting on November 14, 2012
Projects in Progress: 6
Projects Complete: 3
Total Presents to Complete: 26
Do you feel it yet? Is the pressure on? It certainly is here! So how am I coping with the fact that I only have 41 days to complete my goals? That’s simple: I am COMPLETELY enjoying everything Christmas. Music, check. Movies, check. Eggnog and hot apple cider, check and check. I might be making the season longer than “normal” people do, but why not cherish and enjoy it as much as possible?
One of my favorite holiday pass times – just ADDING Christmas movies to our Amazon Prime watchlist. It may not have all the Christmasy goodness that Netflix does (from what I hear), but it has some of the wonderful movies I’ve grown to love and adore each holiday season. The other – my “Baby It’s Cold Outside” Pandora station – full of Christmas music and available all year round….. not that I listen to it all year… right.
But curling up under a blanket to watch Holiday Inn or listen to Ella Fitzgerald certainly gets me in the mood to do some holiday crafting. So tell me, what are your holiday favorites, be it movies, music or anything that gets you excited for the season? I may need some new inspiration once I’ve gone through all of mine…around halfway to Christmas!
43 Days ’til Christmas
Posted by singularknitter in Knitting Goals on November 12, 2012
Projects in Progress: 6
Projects Complete: 3
Total Presents to Complete: 26
My goals for crafting presents this year are a bit lofty, but why stop there? I have planned and started a door decoration. That’s a mild way to describe it. This is no standard wreath or small decorative piece. This will cover our entire front door. Every year, my apartment complex has a door decorating contest, the prizes being money to go towards your next month’s rent. That’s a HUGE incentive.
We did alright last year, but kept the concept very simple using old wrapping paper rolled up and stacked to create the tree and then placed Christmas cards we had received over the last couple of years. It was nice, but not what I had envisioned.
This year will be different. Much different. After buying an unnecessary ton of Red Heart Supersaver yarn in the red and green christmas colors to make M’s stocking three years ago, I have quite a bit left over. I originally planned to knit the red and green background for my door, but after recently teaching myself to do simple crochet stitches, I’ve decided it will be much faster to crochet the background. After beginning the project last night…. I have the goal to finish the background by Saturday.
Tired of waiting yet? What’s the big plan? Well, if you set aside my HORRIBLE drawing skills and use your imagination, you might just see what I’m going for here:
44 Days ’til Christmas!
Posted by singularknitter in Knitting Goals, Seasonal Crafting on November 11, 2012
Projects in Progress: 6
Projects Complete: 3
Total Presents to Complete: 26
To give a brief run-down of my intentions for this holiday season, the total presents to complete are:
3 sweaters, 4 pairs of slippers, 6 pairs of mitts/mittens/etc, 5 hats, 6 cowls, 2 shawls
Additionally, I have decided to gift other handmade/homemade items such as mulling spice packets, basil olive oil and raspberry and blackberry gin. I have completed a trial run of the mulling spices – with apple cider, the packet worked well, but with wine it was not quite right… some adjustments and more testing will need to happen in the near future. Not that I’m complaining… 🙂
45 Days ’til Christmas!
Posted by singularknitter in Knitting Goals, Seasonal Crafting on November 10, 2012
Though it is generally only acceptable to discuss the holiday season until after Thanksgiving, I am a crafter. My holiday gift list grows every day and an early start means I will only be a little bit rushed and crazy the week of Christmas.
Over the next 45 days, I plan to check in daily with my progress. That means: FAMILY, NO PEEKING! Some family members already know about some of the planned gifts, but I have saved a few surprises. I will attempt to speak, write, photograph and maybe even share a few videos keeping everything abstract and in code so I am less likely to completely spoil all of the gift giving fun. But if you have a feeling crafted presents might be for you: please avoid any posts titled with the Christmas countdown. Thank you!
As of now, here is the current breakdown of presents:
Projects in Progress: 6
Projects Complete: 3
Total Presents to Complete: 22
Over the course of the season, the total presents to complete may fluctuate as I decide to hold off on certain presents, or if I go on a crazy streak, I add more presents to the list. Tomorrow’s update will clue you in on the types of projects I intend to make.
But I’d like to put a call out: What are you planning on crafting this holiday season?
Jumpstart Into Fall!
Posted by singularknitter in Daily Life, Knitting Goals, Seasonal Crafting on September 12, 2012
Everything. No, really, everything is inspiring my knitting right now. Every time I turn around, I see something that even slightly reminds me of a project I am knitting, a project I want to knit, or a design I have started mulling over. I am not a huge fan of summer, so just the thought that it is ending is sending my head spinning over all of the possibilities. I keep planning trips in my head to go apple picking with M, wine tasting at my favorite local vineyard, and heading to a pumpkin patch for some extra fall fun. But even thinking about these wonderful fall activities, reminds me of all of the knitting I want to accomplish.
So I just started casting on everything. To the point where I am running out of needles. I asked my father to purchase an interchangeable needle set for me for Christmas (along with some sweaters’ worth of yarn) and nearly broke down when I turned them over to him after the package arrived. “I NEED THOSE NEEDLES NOW!” I keep screaming in my head. It doesn’t help that M and I managed to break two sizes of my current interchangeable set, so I’m already down two potential projects! Not to mention, a lot of these hopeful projects do require the same size needles. I have been pretty restraint in my needle buying over my ten years of knitting, and there are only a few sizes where I have more than just the one interchangeable size. Then there’s the problem of how many cables I have for the interchangeables.
Since everything keeps getting in the way of me casting on every project that’s ever existed, I am trying to set timelines for me to actually finish the projects I currently have on the needles. The first project, though technically off the needles, is a button up cowl… that only needs the two buttons. This would maybe take me five minutes to complete so I could gift it to its recipient, and yet, I just cannot seem to do it. Then, I have a finished shawl, awaiting to be sent off to another friend, if I could only weave in the ends. Completing this project would take, max, ten minutes, and that includes printing a shipping label.
As for the projects on the needles, I am proud to say I finally picked up for the button band of a baby sweater I’ve been working on since the beginning of July. The goal is to finish it by Friday, or everyone in my life can yell at me. I’ve already told my daughter, “an acceptable time to yell at Mommy, when she doesn’t finish this baby sweater this week.” She’s totally on it. She’s already started practicing yelling at me. Just in case.
I already have two very large Christmas presents on the needles, both almost halfway complete. Luckily, one is my commuting knitting. It is traveling everywhere with me so that I can get in a few random stitches here and there and work on it during my lunch break. This is not a project I’m worried about completing. The other present was coming along, until I realized it was going to be a present… and not for me. Then it took a back burner to the baby sweater. But it’s looming over me. So as soon as the first is off the needles, this will move into it’s place as the commuting knitting.
However, the most important and time sensitive knitting. The one thing that should have a clear external and internal motivator is proving to be the most difficult to be consistent on. M’s birthday sweater. She turns three at the end of October and has been asking for a new sweater. I have had the yarn for said sweater for almost a year and a half. It’s time. After casting on and then tearing out one cardigan, I finally found one worthy. And it is the most complicated pattern. Clearly, I want to knit all of the things in the world… and use absolutely NO brain power to do it. I want this cardigan done. To the point that I have printed out the pattern multiple times, cutting and pasting charts, writing and rewriting row numbers along the charts, and thinking about completely rewriting the entire pattern to try and make it a more portable project. It’s just not happening. But I LOVE this pattern. I NEED my daughter to wear this cardigan. So I have planned out a strict schedule for knitting this project that gives me a finish date a month before her birthday, so when I utterly FAIL I’ll still have a month to get it done. Here’s hoping!
Then of course, I have a couple other projects going for christmas presents, ideas for holiday gifts for all of my coworkers (which is just absurd and likely to not actually happen, but they will be cast on…), and an idea for my Christmas door decorating that will be addressed in a future post. I’d also like to knit about five sweaters for myself. I don’t think I have ever made so many lists over and over again of what I want to knit. Trying to prioritize and desperately trying to NOT LET MYSELF CAST IT ALL ON! But Fall gets to me and, for now, I don’t see an end in sight until after the holidays.
Summer Wrap-Up
Posted by singularknitter in Knitting Goals on September 10, 2012
Let’s face it, crafters tend to be competitive… even when it’s only with ourselves. I had heard about the previous events corresponding with the Olympic games and I was prepped and ready to attack several small projects over the course of the games.
I was able to cast on my first project during the mass cast-on when the Olympic Opening Ceremony began and stayed up late working on my hat during the U.S. airing of the ceremonies, with assistance of a friend who came over to watch the ceremonies. The hat was complete the next day. This was potentially the fastest I have ever completed a project. In an attempt to keep up the momentum, I quickly entered my hat in the events it qualified for and cast on my next project.
Quick Cable Slouch Hat by Azure
I completed my second project in record time as well. This lacy cowl is knit flat and closed with two buttons. As soon as I had the pattern memorized, it flew off the needles.
Frosted Glow by Melynda Bernardi
Then I started getting ambitious. A shawl. Though, in my defense, I had heard many people discuss what a quick knit this pattern is and how they finished it in about a week. I didn’t have such luck and slowly lost steam. In the long run, I’m glad I slowed down on it as I wanted to add beads to the edging and make it a little more special. It was my first beaded project and completing the only row of beading took me an entire day’s worth of knitting time.
The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief by Orange Flower
As the summer comes to a close, I am glad to report that I succeeded in reaching and surpassing my Stash Dash goal of 1,800 grams with a total of 1,984 grams knit and spun. Though I had even bigger plans for the number of projects I wanted to complete, considering we had an insanely hot and humid summer, I’d say my productivity wasn’t too bad. Now that Fall is on its way, I have decided to cast on everything…. all at once.
Keeping Production from Overheating
Posted by singularknitter in Daily Life, Knitting Goals, Seasonal Crafting on August 7, 2012
I originally starting writing a post of epic proportions, laying out everything I’ve done and even just thought about doing over the last two months… it got a little ridiculous. Instead, I will break it up into a little bit of a series so that I can not only tell you what I did, but also why I chose to tackle the project during the summer months.
One hundred degree weather doesn’t normally send people running for wool and hand knits. Yet, in the past two months I have completed five projects, spun two pounds of wool, and currently have six more works in progress. So, how is it that I’ve stayed so motivated? Other knitters and spinners.
It all started with TheKnitGrllls “Stash Dash” running June 3rd to August 12th. First, everyone participating set individual goals for how many grams of stash we would use over the course of the event, including any WIPs (works-in-progress). Since this is not the first season of this event, I watched some group members post goals way beyond my comprehension. After careful thought and consideration, based on the summer events to come, I set a goal of 1,800 grams. I pulled out the yarn and fiber, photographed it all, and assigned it to projects and dates to start and complete each project, keeping in mind my progress in other projects to make sure I wasn’t being overly ambitious.
Stash Dash 2012 goal – 1,800 grams of knitting and spinning fun!
During the first few weeks, I completed my Shaelyn Shawl, Wingspan and a cotton dress for M.
The first project was obvious, as I had been working away at it for some time, but had simply run out of yarn at the very end. I was knitting the Shaelyn Shawl out of Sweet Georgia Yarns in a very summery teal color that was heavy enough to keep me warm, while the shawl was at a loose enough gauge that it is still breezy enough to be worn during the summer. I decided to pick up more Sweet Georgia in a lighter and truer blue colorway to work the final edge pattern repeat and castoff. Not only was it a quick finish, but I’ve gotten some wear out of it at work, where the temperature constantly fluctuates throughout the day.
Shaelyn by Leila Raabe knit in Sweet Georgia Superwash Sport in the Tourmaline (main) colorway and the Saltwater (edging) colorway.
I chose the Wingspan next because I had been trying to find the perfect pattern to use some of my Mini Mochi yarn from Crystal Palace that I had been obsessing over. Though it’s a single ply, it’s definitely very fluffy and warm and I only had two balls in the colorway, so I knew I wanted it to be a fairly small project. Plus, I wanted it to be portable to knit at work and be a simple enough pattern to knit through very quickly. I haven’t had the chance to wear it out yet, but it was such an enjoyable knit and the summer heat didn’t slow me down one bit.
Wingspan by maylin Tri’Coterie Designs in Crystal Palace Mini Mochi
As for the cotton dress… sigh. I had been promising M, and my mother, a cotton dress for M for the summer. I had originally intended it to be finished for her to wear to Maryland Sheep and Wool in May.. but never got past the cast on. I love the end result. I even taught myself to do a double crochet edging around the armholes and neckline. I didn’t even really mind the feel of the cotton. But my hands we screaming at my every time I knit on this dress for more than ten minutes a day. Not a sitting, A DAY. I had knit cotton before.. but it was Knit Picks Shine in a Pima cotton. I know that Pima cotton is softer and just better, but I had found so many wonderful, bright and cheerful color combinations in the Sugar and Cream (dishcloth) cotton that I knew would be perfect for M. The pluses: the pattern is lovely and I felt completely comfortable knitting this poolside as I knew this dress would also get wet and have sunscreen all over it whenever M would wear it. Cotton a big plus for summer knitting… just maybe real garment cotton for big projects.
Elenka by Inna Aleksandrova
The rest of my summer knitting was planned out to the extreme. List after list was made to ensure that everything could and would be completed on time. Of course I totally stayed on schedule…….
Late to the Monster Scene
Posted by singularknitter in Knitting Goals on June 16, 2012
I might not have made it to the March Monster Madness party… but May was certainly full of monster fun! When I started spinning with my drop spindle at the beginning of the year, I knew I wanted to knit toys for M, or myself, using my first handspun as I thought it would be pretty forgiving and I wouldn’t have to have a consistent gauge. Though the first monster I started with my first handspun is still languishing, as I started it before actually finishing spinning all the fiber, I made two monsters as birthday presents.
The first present I chose, easily, the more challenging project out of Rebecca Danger’s Big Book of Knitted Monsters: Leila, Lydia, and Lucas the Momma and Baby Monsters. To date, only the Momma has been completed… but at least in time of the party! This monster is the size of a small pillow… and it was a miracle I finished it as I panicked about what else I could get for a five year old girl’s birthday! M is only two and a half, and most of the time I don’t know what to get her either… that is, until I step into a toy store and want to get her everything.
The Momma (without babies) monster from Rebecca Danger’s The Big Book of Knitted Monsters
The second monster, I chose carefully. It was a present for a close friend’s two year old son and I wanted it to be nice enough to grow with him, and be boyish enough. So it had to be Gort the Gym Bag Monster, also from the Rebecca Danger book. I had half a skein of beautiful Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sport in the Eastern Market colorway left after making another friend’s son a hat. I knew that the yarn would knit up well, creating interesting pooling and almost subtle striping throughout the monster, but that the orange color would be… manly enough.
Gort from Rebecca Danger’s The Big Book of Knitted Monsters
Though M repeatidly asked when she would finally get her monster, she was so excited to gift both of these monsters! I tried to include her as much as I could in the process, so she could feel like she helped and she was proud of the monsters when she gave them to her friends! Since then, I have spun up new yarn to make her another monster… so I guess should actually finish the first one….
Epic Twin Tweed Sweaters
Posted by singularknitter in Knitting Goals on March 31, 2012
They may have started off as part of an entire set. There were hats, booties, even bibs that were brainstormed. These Ravelry searches and late-night swatch sessions left me pushing the deadline to complete the sweaters alone. But I finally cast on and finished most of the first sweater. Right before a little munchkin stole my pattern with all the notes necessary to complete the rest of the sweater and to make its twin! Silly, M.
After stalling for a week trying to find the illusive piece of paper, I decided to re-print the pattern, tediously count rows and stitches, re-write all my notes and knit along. Of course my mother found the pattern in M’s room a few days before I cast off the second sweater. However, they were completed, wrapped, and off to work in time for the baby shower for my colleague.
Ribbed Baby Jacket by Debbie Bliss knit up in Vanna's Choice Grey Marble tweed and Caron Simply Soft Black.
Buttons of perfection purchased at Uniquities in Vienna, VA
Up next on the needles is a cotton summer dress for M before I cast on for another baby gift… Friends: please stop making babies for a while. Okay, thanks!
Progress Report
Posted by singularknitter in Knitting Goals on March 12, 2012
After finishing the epic Thin Ice shawl, I have pretty closely adhered to my casting on goals. In order to keep my sanity regarding my stash, I have been pairing yarn with projects and actually starting each project. This, of course, results in a lot in progress and not a lot completed. Thus far, however, I have finished two preemie hats and a rather oversized cowl.
Basic Knit/Purl textured striping. Picture taken before blocking.
Glücksburg Cowl by Silke K. knit in Blue Sky Alpaca Techno in the Metro Silver colorway.
Presently, I do have quite a few projects still on the needles, some matched with their yarn, and other patterns printed out awaiting a final decision. As for on the needles, I have a pair of mittens, a textured hat, and another shawl. The mittens were part of my KAL obsession, but I fell way behind with the colorwork and I haven’t made it past the first mitten’s cuff. I love the way they are knitting up… and I’m sure I will finish them by the time we actually have a winter.
Mittens For Me! by Laura Linneman. Knit in Knit Picks Stroll in the Blue Topaz and Fedora colorways.
The hat had moved to time-out for a bit when I realized that working up a hat using six double point needles just wasn’t reasonable. It did give me a good excuse to head over to my LYS during my lunch break to pick up some new Addi Turbo Lace needles long enough to Magic-Loop the rest of the hat. I’ve started the decreases and I should finish by tomorrow. The textured pattern does show a bit more in person, but it’s a gift for a friend’s son who adores orange and I actually really like the pooling that the pattern is creating.
Vegamot by Guro Djupvik. Knit in Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sport in the Eastern Market colorway.
Finally, I have started the Shaelyn as a quick and simple lace-charted shawl. The pattern is simple and it has been my go-to easy knitting. I haven’t had as much time to focus on it, since I have been trying to get the gift knitting completed, but I foresee this shawl coming off the needles next week. I love the Sweet Georgia yarn I’m knitting it in and I actually dream about getting some serious knitting time with this shawl. Literally, dream about it.
Shaelyn by Leila Raabe. Knit in Sweet Georgia Yarns Superwash Sport in the Tourmaline colorway.
As for future projects, I have two sweaters, three shawls and loads of baby shower gifts lined up. Time to start my gauge swatches! 😉
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