New Year's Knitting Resolutions

1. Knit Daily

2. Be an adventurous knitter

3. Update my Ravelry projects and keep up to date

4. Blog!

I have been in a knitting funk lately and I think the best way to get out of that is to make sure I knit daily. I started an easy Noro Striped Scarf last week and got about half way thru it this weekend. It's a no brainer knit, great for curling up and knitting while watching TV. The Noro does all the work, I like how it's turning out.

The Noro scarf isn't too adventurous, I want to expand my knitting skills and try to knit a sweater for myself this year.

While I wasn't blogging about my knitting I thought I was keeping Ravelry updated with all of my projects but I have found I'm missing quite a few! I'm gathering photos and hope to get that updated soon.

I really hadn't thought much about my knitting blog until my friend Jeanie started her knitting/fiber blog and now I am inspired to update my blog. Thanks Jeanie!

These are my New Year's Knitting Resolutions. I don't know if I will keep all of them, but I know I will be knitting.

Hate is such a strong word...

Originally uploaded by another AK girl

I took a class recently at a LYS learning how to make felted clogs. I didn't have size 13 circulars in my needle collection so I bought 16" and 23" Addi Turbos. I bought the pattern, yarn and paid for the class... so about $90 later I really HATE knitting these clogs.

At first I thought it was the pattern, it required a lot of concentration and counting. I like repetitive and quick, I was having a great time with my Hemlock Ring Blanket.

I was losing all motivation to knit the clogs, I was thinking of other projects and didn't even knit in the morning over coffee.

Doing my homework and getting ready for a Thrummed Mitten class put on by the guild I noticed how fun it was to cast on 40 stiches and knit 2 purl 2 on my dpn's. I realized I didn't hate the clogs, I hated the Addi Turbos! I've never like knitting on metal needles, I thought I had gotten over my metal needle dislike but I was so wrong.

Now that I've realized that, and Aaron has volunteered to finish my clogs in exchange for the Addi Turbos.... life is good!

Year End Progress

I actually feel like I've been making progress and my works in progress are becoming finished objects!

I've completed my Entrelac Scarf. I love doing Entrelac, I'm planning a few more projects. Perhaps the Lady E shawl, and the "Quaint" headband on Knitty.com is a must.



My first lace project is off the needles. It's a shoulder shawl but I think it's small. I still have to block and and may just block the heck out of it and see how big it can be. It will be my first attempt at blocking anything. Caiti loves the shawl and it fits her nicely, she's been trying to make it hers. I told her we could share.


dishcloths


I gave Stephanie her pedicure socks for Christmas. I think she likes them, I know she was surprised. I also got a couple of dishcloths done for her, she said she was in desparate need.


Rockstar!

I finished weaving in the ends of Caiti's "Rockstar" Scarf tonight. She's really excited to wear it to school. I'm glad to be done with that fuzzy yarn! ewwww...

It's time to review my ravelry queue and decide what I'll work on for the new year. I don't think I want to go back to working on one project at a time, it was fun to have three things on the needles and be able to rotate when boredom set in. I think it kept me motivated.

The Class

Elke Coon taught a class at Knitting Grounds on Entrelac, Reverse Knitting and Reverse Purling last night. It was a hard concept to grasp and it felt like knitting for the first time. My hands felt awkward, I didn't know where to hold the yarn, I couldn't figure out how to read the pattern, I didn't know if I should be knitting forward or backward, or even knitting or purling!


It was great fun and now that I think I have it down, I'm hooked! I started at the store, ended up frogging (I attended Aaron's class on frogging) and started over. I had to leave with only 2 triangles on my needles but stayed up knitting at home until midnight to get the technique down. I had no intention of starting another project, especially one that wasn't in my Ravelry queue but I really wanted to learn how to do this.

I wasn't too sure of the Noro Silk Garden the pattern called for. I didn't like how it felt, but I loved the color. I am enjoying this yarn and I love how the color fits into the Entrelac pattern.

Elke is amazing, she can visualize how the stiches go together and form the fabric. She understood our questions, and could see what we were knitting as we went along. I would love to have a few more sessions with her.

Bordermania

I'm finally on the home stretch, at least I think I am anyway.

I've started the border and finished 5 of the 8 rows. Then it's on to 2 rows of binding off. woohoo!! I've only used most of one skein of yarn, and I'm wondering how big the shawl will block.


I can't believe I'm almost done!! And yes, I've already begun planning my next lace project.

Frustration & Frogging

I had an extra stitch in my Forest Canopy Shawl, I frogged two rows back, knitted it again and still had an extra stitch. I frogged again, a little further, knitted again and now I'm two stiches short! I just didn't want to frog all the way back to my lifeline if I didn't have to.

So tonight is another frogging adventure, maybe I'll get it right.

Projects, Projects, Projects....

Yes, 3 projects! Very unusual for me, I've never been one to start a new project without finishing the first. It all seems very logical how I got myself into this multitasking - knitting mode. I was finishing up Stephanie's Pedicure Socks... weaving those little ends in.




Pedicure Socks


Since I was so close to finishing the Pedicure Socks I began looking for a new project and decided on an easy beginner lace project, Forest Canopy Shawl. I found a wonderful yarn for the shawl at Knitting Grounds, Aslan Trends Invernal which is just luxurious! I couldn't resist starting the shawl, I had to play with my new yarn. I love knitting with this yarn, and I want to find more projects to use this yarn in later.




















Forest Canopy Shawl

While knitting this shawl, and after a few starts... I've learned about the all important "lifeline." What a concept!! I have to admit though, I'm stuck on the project. I have one too many stitches in the row I'm working and now I don't want to frog it back and find my error. This leads me to my third project ... RockStar!
















Caiti's RockStar Scarf

Since the lace was giving me trouble and Caiti wanted me to make her something with a novelty yarn I've had stashed for too long, I found a pattern I could knit and watch movies all weekend. She loves how it looks and wants me to finish it as soon as possible, but this morning I have the urge to get back to my shawl even it it will take a couple rows of frogging.