Knitting Goals for 2012 Revisited

These were the 12 knitting goals I established for myself when I joined the group called "12 in 12 2012".  The group's mission statement, if you will, was to encourage folks to set goals to complete at least 12 knitting projects in 2012.  I went a little crazy with my goal setting, knowing that I would complete more than 12 projects during the year since I tend to make a lot of small-ish projects.  For myself, I set "12 knitting goals" instead of 12 specific projects.   MY PROGRESS TOWARD EACH GOAL IS IN BOLD FACE.


(1) An afghan called "Nature in Natural" (a pattern from Lion Brand) using up my Berroco Weekend yarn/color: natural, oatmeal. I may re-purpose this yarn to make a pattern called "Girasole" by Jared Flood. I just can't decide!   Started an afghan called "Vortex" and discovered a mistake / frogged the entire thing.

(2) A sweater called "Pismo" for me using my Cascade 220 Superwash Wool yarn in a lovely lavender/periwinkle color.  Started the sweater but frogged it/decided I am not a sweater knitter.
(3) Make something out of my gorgeous two (2) skeins of Noro Silk Garden Sock. This yarn is too beautiful to waste! I just can't decide!  SUCCESS! Made an entrelac cowl and a crocheted market bag.

(4) Make an "Annis Shawl" with beads instead of nupps with yarn from the Sock Summit 2011SUCCESS! But made a Diantha Shawl instead of an Annis Shawl... same designer/different pattern.

(5) Make one (1) shawl (for "Wrapped in Care" group on Ravelry).  NO PROGRESS but I did pick a pattern!
(6) Make a "Swallowtail Shawl" in teal Lion Brand Sock Ease yarn. NO PROGRESS! But I did make a lot of other shawls.

(7) Make an "Elizabeth Zimmermann Pi Shawl"-Inspired Christmas Tree skirt out of Mom's Stash Yarn: Schaffhauser Wolle 'Nancy' in an antique/off-white shade.  NO PROGRESS but I still really want to make a tree skirt!

(8) Use remaining stashed Berroco Comfort DK yarn for chemo caps.  Made 10 chemo caps this year and gave them away, but bought more yarn instead of entirelyy knitting from stash. Still have lots of Berroco DK left..

(9) Find a good use for Mom's Stash Yarn: 'Lil Grins' (cotton/acrylic blend). May make a little sweater.  SUCCESS PARTIALLY. Did make 3 chemo caps with some of the yarn but a the black yarn is tied up in BOBLACA... BOring BLack CAardigan.

(10) Make 12 Christmas Stockings for "Operation Holiday Stockings" (at LEAST 12 stockings in 2012).  FAILED. Made less than 1/2 a dozen and forgot to mail them!  I guess now I have a head start for 2013. 

(11) Make 12 of pairs of SOCKS OR make 12 of projects from book "Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders" (or any combination of the two that adds up to 12)  I had pretty good SUCCESS with this goal... I used a lot of sock yarn in projects aside from socks... and I did make 6 pairs of socks this year.

(12) Try, try, TRY to not buy new yarn for 12 entire months! EPIC FAILURE! Bought yarn on 01-14-2012 and it was all down hill from there. I can say, however, that I have been knitting my newly purchased yarn right away... it's just the stash that won't go away!

If there is a prize for not following plans, I win!  Bottom line... I finished a LOT, LOT, LOT of projects this year.

Here is a summary of what I did complete in 2012.

* Completed 4 shawls (Holden, Diantha, Larch, and Ginkgo)

* Completed 12 tiny hats for Calvin's Hats

* Made and donated 10 chemo caps and also completed 4 other hats and 1 headband (Calorimetry)

* Completed 6 pairs of socks

* Completed 6 pairs of mittens/fingerless mitts

* Completed 3 Striped Infinity Scarves

* Completed 2 Clapotis scarves/wraps

* Completed 1 scarf called "Scarf for Him" (also posted pattern on Ravelry)

* Completed 2 cowls; one called "Intertwisted" and the other was an entrelac pattern. I also completed some of those novelty scarves... do those count? I made 3.

* Completed a blanket called "Serenity" with stash yarn and gave it to my sister. I was especially proud of this project.

* Completed a bunch of miscellaneous small things... 1 coffee cup cozy, 1 crochet market bag, and about 1/2 a dozen mini-Christmas ornaments, and some cotton-face-scrubby thingamajigs.

Happy New Year one and all! 
Now, what shall I make in 2013?

Calorimetry

Calorimetry... with added crocheted flower.

I've been eyeing the pattern for "Calorimetry" on Ravelry for quite some time. There are over 15,300 projects on Raverly in this design.  There were a lot of comments about the project being over sized.  Given that I have a peanut sized head, I reduced the number of stitches from 120 to 100 and ended up with a very loose headband, but I am still over the moon about my cute completed project.  As you can see, I added a crocheted flower which I found in a pattern for another headband.  The flower pattern can be found HERE. I'd also like to try this headband pattern.   

The Calorimetry pattern can be found on Ravelry and on Knitty.  The links are HERE and HERE.

Bad picture of me taken by me... you know the technique... extend arm... smile...snap photo of self!

I used Cascade 220 Superwash for this project.  I bought enough for a sweater but I was not getting the sweater done so there will be several lavender projects in my future.

Mini-Mitten Ornament: Free Pattern

New pattern: Mini-Mitten Ornament

I've decided making up my own knitting patterns is my NEW favorite thing.

I'll put it here so it's official... my goal for 2013 is to be creative and make up my own knitting patterns. Folks on Ravelry have been so nice each time I have uploaded a pattern. It's fun!



We had a White Christmas! My first EVER. Can you tell I took this photo on fluffy, beautiful snowflakes?

I enjoy making miniature ornaments each year for my Christmas tree. This year, I made miniature mittens following a number of patterns I found on Ravelry. The tiny size of the mittens and the length of my double pointed needles made me feel I was "all thumbs" while knitting, especially the mitten’s tiny thumbs. Ironic! I actually went so far as try to knit on wooden tooth picks and it seriously would have worked if it weren’t for the fact the tooth picks splintered easily. I learned bits and pieces from each pattern I tried and I incorporated what I’ve learned from making full-sized mittens in order to come up with my own pattern which is quick and easy to knit.

The pattern is offered for free on Ravelry and the pattern link is HERE.
You can also download a PDF file HERE.

Here are the other mitten ornaments I made this week, while trying various patterns and while trying to make up my own pattern.  As you can see, I also made two mini-stockings and one mini-sweater. The mini-sweaters sure are time consuming but I can whip out the mittens in no time at all.  It's funny using left-over tidbits of yarn for these ornaments. I think of the original project... the pattern, who received the item, or what was going on in my life while working on the project.  A little walk down memory lane.

Christmas Knitting... for Mom and Dad

Socks for Her...

Socks for Him...

Socks for them...

Sometime after Halloween, I decided to do some knitting for Christmas gifts.  I made matchy-matchy socks for both my Mom and Dad.  I knew my Mom (a knitter!) would especially appreciate my efforts to get the self-striping yarn to cooperate and it turns out my Dad was impressed, too!

Without even asking, my Mom and Dad sent me a photo of them modeling their new socks on Christmas Day.  Sweet!  Thanks Mom and Dad.  Merry Christmas.  Love you bunches!

Simple Scarf for Him (a free pattern)

Simple Scarf for Him

On November 29th... just before Christmas… I announced to my husband, "… you know, I was thinking of making a pair of mittens for Pam for Christmas!" (Pam being my husband’s dad’s wife). My husband said, "Well, if you are going to do that, could you knit my Dad a red scarf for Christmas?!" I couldn’t believe my husband was actually encouraging me to go to my local shop and buy yarn! How could I say "No!" to that?

At the yarn shop, I found some suitable, easy-care yarn in a nice deep red. I cast on a pattern I had in mind but soon realized I would never get the scarf done in time for Christmas; turns out the pattern was primarily ribbing and ribbing is too cumbersome and slow for me to knit. I decided to wing it and came up with this pattern. I have used this stitch pattern before in cotton dishcloths. It’s a nice pattern because you don’t really have to refer to the pattern at all; you simply have to "read" your knitting. The pattern is fun for the knitter since it’s not just plain stockinette stitch and the texture created by the diagonal columns of purl stitches could be used in a project for a guy or a gal... young or old. Why, this pattern could even be used for a baby blanket.

I got the scarf knit in time to mail to my father-in-law for Christmas.  I was thinking typing the pattern up and putting it on Ravelry might be fun, so I did. The pattern link is HERE; it's offered for free.  You can also download a PDF file by clicking HERE.

I have only put a pattern on Ravely one other time. A little over a year ago, I uploaded a pattern for a hat called Ribbons of Hope.

Both times I have put patterns on Ravely, I have had such heart warming experiences.  After adding the scarf pattern, I was contacted on Ravely by a lady who lives in Western Australia. She told me she thought it was such "good karma" to share patterns with others; she offered me two free patterns.   Apparently she collaborates on patterns with another gal on Ravely; the other woman lives in Arizona.  A short while later, a woman from Canada contacted me to let me know she was using my pattern to make a comfort item for a first responder to the shooting in Connecticut.  Very nice.

Striped Infinity Scarf

Striped Infinity Scarf
A pattern my Michelle Hunter
www.knitpurlhunter.com
 

I have actually had this Striped Infinity Scarf done for a few weeks.  I was struggling with the seam so I tossed it aside for awhile, but buckled down and finished and blocked this project this weekend.  This will be a gift for my friend, Bev... we've know each other at work for 20 years.  Twenty years!  Somehow a statement like that makes me feel old.  Whatever the case may be, Bev is very fashionable and I think she will like this accessory.  Bev is one of those ladies who looks very pulled together and fabulous even on dress down days when we wear are allowed to wear jeans to work.  At work, dress down days are fund raisers for the Employee's Club.  You pay $2.00 for the privilege to dress down.  Funny, huh?  My son was patient enough to model the scarf for me.  Thanks, Buddy!

In case this pattern looks familiar, this is my 3rd scarf using this same pattern. It's a very fun knit!  This scarf is knit in Zauberball.

 

Cabernet Sauvignon Mittens

Another pair of mittens in Berroco Boboli yarn. The pattern is called "Woodhaven" and it's a free pattern from Berroco.  I picked this yarn for my coworker, Mrs. W, as she loves purple!  We exchange handmade gifts each year; she paints ceramics and, of course, I knit.  We've worked together since January 2007.

The pair of mittens I finished last week reminded me of Monet's water lily paintings because of the colors in the yarn. This time around, the yarn used for these mittens reminded me of the glass of Cabernet Sauvignon I just poured for myself this evening.  A nice glass of wine to relax and celebrate the fact that my Christmas knitting and my Christmas cards are done, done, done!

Water Lily Mittens

I love, love, love to make mittens.  They can be rather quick to make, especially with worsted weight yarn.  These are a last minute Christmas gift.  The yarn is Berroco Boboli and the pattern can be found HERE.  By the way, I haven't yet met a Berroco yarn I do not like.

I snapped this photo with the mittens lying on top of my clothes dryer so the colors are not true. When I was knitting this project, the colors in the yarn reminded me of tones in Monet's water lily painting. 

Ouch! Cast Covers for Toasty Tootsies

Poor Pam!  She was petting a dog on a farm in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a few weeks back.

The dog was a great big dog (a Great Pyrenees).   A youthful, vivacious, great big dog.  Good dog!

A grumpy old sheep came along and apparently did not like the looks of the dog.  So the sheep some how collided with the dog and the dog some how collided with Pam.  Bad sheep!

Poor Pam!  Ankle broken in three places, both lower leg bones also broken, two plates and five screws placed during surgery.  Pam is now safely back home in Illinois but winter is coming and her toes were getting cold. She asked for some covers for her cast to keep her toes warm.   She suggested a cap "like for a new born".  I made six, hoping at least one would work well for her.

I made two in crochet (like the purple cap pictured above); one small and one large. It's hard to make something for someone several states away.

I made two in pale blue... one knit (above) and one crochet (below).

Finally, I made two using self-striping yarn in knit two, purl two ribbing; a short version and a longer version.  Pam says the one listed below is working out best. 

Sorry for the "not so glamorous" photos. I snapped the photos in my car on the way from work to the post office to mail these off.

Yummy Socks

I have been spending a bit of time at my local yarn shop, “Grandma’s Beads and Yarn”. I typically knit there with a group of friends on Thursdays in the afternoon but, once in a while, especially since school is back in session, I find myself at the knit shop a little more often.  Michelle, the shop’s owner, loves to show me the new yarn that arrives each week; she is really a hoot.  She won’t just let you look at the yarn; she hands it to you so you can really appreciate how nice and soft it is.  Michelle’s favorite adjective for yarn is “yummy,” as in… “isn’t this yarn YUMMY?!” and as she says this, her eyes get really big, she sort of arches her eyebrows, and she doesn’t blink as she looks at your face to see your reaction to the yarn.  Yep, she’s a hoot and quite the sales person.  And, of course, I am more than happy to help support this shop.

This week I bought some new yarn by Classic Elite Yarn called “Liberty Wool Light” in a color way featuring shades of blues, off-white, and lavender. The yarn comes in some interesting color ways and surprising color combinations.  Liberty Wool Light is “sport weight” and it knit up quickly this weekend into a pair of comfy socks I plan to wear around the house. They are YUMMY.   I am not sure this is the best yarn for socks... it's all wool and contains no nylon to help them keep their shape (I think that's what nylon does). But these socks are are great for lounging on the sofa, which is precisely what I intend to do... time to cast on another pair of socks!  I am in a sock-sort-of mood. I get that way sometimes.

KnitPurlHunter projects

Disappearing Act (Sock #1 in progress... from the toe up)

Striped Infinity Scarf (my 3rd time making this pattern... I love it!)

October Knit A-long called "Intertwisted"
Clue #1 on the left with Clue #2 to the right of that.  Clue #3 is in the works.

Fall is a busy time of year.  Now that the high school tennis season is over, the leaves in the yard are keeping us busy.  I have been spending a lot of time cooking and baking, mowing and mulching leaves, knitting and knitting... and that pesky full-time job of mine keeps me busy too.  I am trying to find a good balance between being active and being sedentary. I've noticed in the four years I have been knitting, it's really easy to forgo exercise when I am excited to knit.  But balance is important.  This fall, I have enjoyed going for lots of walks but, now that it's getting cold out, I've been checking out classes offered at the gym.  So far I am liking yoga.  In the evenings I find a bit of time to knit.  I am working on three things right now and all are patterns from Michelle Hunter (patterns on her blog www.knitpurlhunter.com)  As you can tell, I am a big fan of her patterns?!

Tofutsies

I made these socks over the past few weeks.  I used "Tofutsies" yarn which is made out of soy silk, merino wool, and chitin (made from lobster and crab shells).   Pretty wild, huh?

I did not realize it until I was knitting these socks that the colors in the yarn are my high school colors. Doh!  My friend "K2" likes to point that out and tease me about that.

"Seriously Kim?  Our high school colors? What were you thinking!?"  We went to Aloha High School in Beaverton, Oregon.  Go Warriors!  Blue-Gold-Green!  Oh, and just so you know "Aloha" is pronounced "uh-lowwa"... not "uh-low-HA".  It's important. Trust me.

My first short row heels. I followed the instructions for the short row heel in the book called "Socks a la Carte".  The book exclusively uses Tofutsies yarn in the patterns.  I can see why; the yarn is so nice and comes in a variety of nice colors.
 

Dr. Seuss Mitts

For some reason, when I was finishing these mitts, the colors and random pattern reminded me of a colorful Dr. Seuss book...
so I am calling these my "Dr. Seuss Mitts".

 

 

A few weeks back, I went to my local yarn shop, Grandma's Beads and Yarn. I've not been able to go much this summer but, now that school is back in session, I am able to go hang out with the girls on Thursdays.  It's always a treat to see my friends.  While I am at the shop, I keep telling myself... I don't need yarn, I don't need MORE yarn... but I put my knitting down on the table at the shop and walk around and look at all the pretty, yummy yarn.  I found this intriguing, solitary ball of yarn called Knitcol (from Italy).  I think it's a merino wool sport or DK weight yarn.  The color combination was unusual and the yarn spoke to me... buy me... make mitts.

 

So I did. 

 

I squeeked out a very matchy-matchy pair of fingerless mitts.  I had to piece things together a bit at the end to make things match.  I wish I could have ended the mitts with a dark color and the mitts do stretch out a bit when I wear them.  Whatever the case may be, I liked finding inspiration in a colorful, solitary ball of yarn.  

Holden... A Shawl

Holden is a shawl pattern I've admired for awhile. I got this yarn from Knit Picks with a gift certificate from my Mom for Christmas. Thanks, Mom!!!

This is Knit Picks Stroll in a colorway called "Lullaby". The yarn is "tonal"... shades of blue but there is purple in there too. It's very nice yarn... so soft. I enjoyed knitting with it.  Holden is a free pattern; I found it on Ravelry.  In the pattern photos, the designer shows the shawl being worn in this fashion like a neckerchief.  I think I might be able to pull off this look.  I don't intend to wear this shawl with this shirt but it does allow you to see the eyelet well, doesn't it? 

Snapped a photo of myself in the mirror. I am loving the gray streak in my hair at the temple.  :) 

My "free" highlights!  Ha, ha!

Striped Infinity Scarf #2

 

Another Striped Infinity Scarf.  A fun, relaxing knit.  The pattern is by Michelle Hunter at www.knitpurlhunter.com.  This is a great project to have on the needles... you can grab it and go... and knit a row here and there while waiting to pick up your kid after school or after sports practice. Also great for TV knitting.  I like to have an easy pattern like this to work on to take a break from something more complicated such as a charted lace shawl.  And the results are so great... such a wearable piece.  The first scarf I made with this pattern was made with Zauberball (fingering weight yarn, about 450 yards of yarn) which yielded a very long scarf. I like to wear it tripled up around neck.  This version is made with Crystal Palace's Mini Mochi which, to me, comes in amazing colorways.  This colorway is called "Crayon Box" and I used about 1 1/2 skeins (fingering weight, about 300 yards).   The recipient is a friend, Mrs. C.  I met her when our boys were in kindergarten and they are now sophomores in high school.  She's a grade school teacher, a very nice lady, a terrific mom... she is very petite and I think she'll like this shorter version of the scarf.  The yarn surprisingly has a lot of brown in it which you don't necessarily see in the photos.  I see Mrs. C wearing lots of earthy browns and when I showed this to my husband and said I planned to gift this to Mrs. C, my husband said, "Oh, those ARE her colors!"  Funny the things he notices.  I am glad he concurred.

 
A sunlight photo... my only window with southern exposure is in the dinky laundry room!  Check out my new dryer. Ha, ha!

Hubby snapped a photo for me. Wet hair... just out of the shower.  I should have smiled more! :)
Love this scarf. Tempted to keep for myself but I can always make another!