I’ve told myself I should join Camp Loopy.

Well this year I did.

There’s a challenge each month.  First month is to knit up at least 400 yards into a project.

I picked my yarn – Malabrigo Mechita in English Rose.  I love the color variations!  And since it pretty much matches my blog you know how I feel about the color.

Next up is the pattern choice.  The color variations say garter stitch to me.  I’ve narrowed it down to 4 shawls:

• Pennae by Hilary Smith Calis – 2 colors, stripes and lace should keep me interested.
• Antarktis by Janina Kallio – simple but effective and the use of the mesh stitch allows it to get bigger than most 400 yard shawls.
• Meridian by JumperCablesKnitting – simple with the addition of a second color divided by a row of eyelets.  I’ll be able to use up the whole skein and then add as much of the second color as I want for added length.
• Mrs. Blandings by Casapinka – Stripes and simple lace between the panels blend 2 colors beautifully

Which one do you like best?  Any others that you’d recommend?  Of course I cycle between the 4 (and have bouts of “omg I *have* to add this one too”) but I’ve been keeping to these 4 for a few days now.

I’ll catch you on the purl side…

I quickly decided that I wanted to knit Briquette out of Miss Babs Yowza in Scarlet Letter.  Pretty color and the hoodie is something I’ll get a lot of wear out of on the weekends.

But then I looked at my sweater yarn stash – I actually have several choices.  Going with my “be more deliberate” approach that I’m taking on this year I wanted to make sure I wasn’t making a rash decision.  I don’t want to frog this just because it wasn’t a good choice.

I came up with a few more options…

Briquette in GGH Bali Brown with a small stripe (or two) on the sleeve with the blue.  I like the sportier look for the weekend.

Pier 60 out of Dream in Color Jilly.  The pattern is designed for worsted so it would be a big change from the original.  I think the stitch pattern could work really nicely in this colorway though and the neckline makes it fit the lighter weight feeling of the yarn.  This could be inspired or irrational.

Salted in Jilly as well.  I like that someone else made one in Tosh Merino Light (a very similar yarn) but it’s in a more solid colorway.  How will the openwork look at the top?  I don’t need you to see it well but I want to make sure it doesn’t detract.  And for the body I could do it in reverse stockinette stitch (knitting it inside out so I do knits in the round instead of purls).

I’m really not sure which way I want to go at this point.  One thing all these options have is that I’ll finish it right before spring starts so I’ll get a lot of wear out of it.

What do you think?  Any other options that you see here?  What are you joining in with for the KAL?

I’ll catch you on the purl side…

Goals – 2015

Knitting

• Knit 6 pairs of Mystery KAL socks – fun, right?  And I get to use up stash yarn – yeah!  Ok ok I said 6 but there are 7 different yarns – I just couldn’t choose 6.  I’ll use a random number generator to pick a yarn after I’m done with the previous one, and I might fit a few sock WIPs in the middle too.  I have 3 or 4 sock WIPs that I’d like to get done too (and bonus since they’re partly there as well).

• Knit 3 things from stash for the Stash Down KAL
• Finish Paul’s Chicago Bears socks – they were his 2013 socks and I never even started his 2014 socks.  I’m a bad, bad wife.

• Finish Paul’s Pismo hat – he loved his last one and he deserves a new one.  I guess I’m not too terrible of a wife because the whole hat is k1tbl, p1 ribbing.  Oy.
• Finish Raspberry Tart – I’m less than a full sleeve away.

• Add other colors to my knitting – yellow and maybe some blue or green

Blog

• Post twice a week for the next 3 months- I did it for most of December and it was a lot of fun!  It also meant I had to plan more so I could actually have pics to post (especially hard in the dead of winter – it’s pitch black by the time I get home from work).
• Post more recipes and nutrition info – start with twice per month
• Make 20 comments per week on other blogs – I love getting comments and I need to leave more too.

Personal

• FitBit – I got one for Christmas and I have no idea how many steps I do on a regular day (although I suspect my desk job leads to a whole lotta nothing).  I need to move more but right now I don’t even know what “more” is.
• Eat Well – I started eating Gluten Free last month and I want to continue.  I’ve read so much about the benefits of gluten free and I need to give it a good shot (at least 3 months).  To be honest though I haven’t noticed any real change in the way I feel which makes it hard to keep at it.
• Lose 8 pounds – As many of you know, I lost over 70 pounds in the past few years.  This year I stayed stable until after Thanksgiving and then all hell broke loose – I ate dessert (often), I ate more than I needed to at many meals and I made poor choices even when I didn’t overeat.  8 pounds may not seem like a lot but it makes a big difference on a 5’2″ frame.  Losing the 8 pounds will let me prove to myself that I can maintain this weight loss.

Goals – throughout the year

• Check in each month – assess, acknowledge and adjust.  I often do one check in post and then forget.  Keep me honest, k?
• Make an editorial calendar – so I can plan and stay on track for the 2 posts/week

You’ll see I set a timeframe of months for several of the goals.  That 21-day habit thing is a pipe dream and I’m really serious here.   I’m doing this in my professional life and at home too – if I know I want to make a change then I need to actually make the change.

What about you all?  What are your goals?  How are you going to get there?

Have an awesome 2015  and thank you for spending some of your time with me.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

Tomorrow is the beginning of a new year and all the dreams and wonderment are alive in the knitting community.

This looks like it’s the year of Knit Your Stash (or really, yet another year of Knit Your Stash).  Lots of KALs cropping up:

• My Sister’s Knitter – This is the one that spurred on my excitement (full disclosure, I’m one of the mods).
• Yarniacs 2015 Q1 Stash Down Challenge – knit any pattern you choose from stash yarn
• Plum Dandi Ultimate KAL – knit any sweater pattern by Alicia Plummer or Melissa Schaschwary

Join for camaraderie, support and maybe even a fun prize or two.

I got a little crazy and frogged several WIPs that weren’t getting any love.  New year, clear needles…and omg I have A LOT of 4.0mm needles.

Then, I started tagging patterns and stash that I’d like to use.  Here are a few of my favorite combos:

Briquette in Yowza Whatta Skein in this gorgeous red.  This can triple dip in all three KALs – I want to CO tomorrow but the Plum Dandi KAL starts on January 9th.

Tatu in Tosh Merino Light in Baltic.  I stopped using this yarn because I realized it’d look like I was wearing a suit if I wore it with jeans – and I wear jeans All.The.Time.  I’m going to give overdyeing a try after knitting this one (probably in a spruce green).  Any pointers for overdyeing?

Lace Tiered Skirt in Hempathy.  I’d get a lot of wear out of this one once the weather warms up and both the pattern and the yarn have been in my stash for several years.  Every year I think about it in May and it’s too late to make it worth it for that season so it goes to the backburner.  Time to get this into the FO column.  I’ll probably make mine a bit shorter because at 5’2″ that length will be the oh-so-flattering length of mid-calf.  Yuk.

Inner Peace in Miss Babs Shiruku.  This one was on my Christmas wish list and has to be knit.  And CO tomorrow?

Yowza Weight It Shawl in Yowza Whatta Skein.  I need a simple knit otn for those times when I just want to pick up and go.

Lots of reds and purples with a little blue (and overdyed green?) thrown in too.  My classic colors.  My stash.  No idea what I’ll really finish but it was fun to put the list together.

And I haven’t even talked about the socks – that’s for tomorrow.

I’ll catch you on the purl side…

• Designers choose up to 20 designs to offer at 25% off – look at all of them
• The sale goes from Thursday Nov 13 – Friday Nov 21
• After that, the KAL goes until Dec 31st.  Knit ANY pattern from a participating designer to qualify.
• There are TONS of prizes – take a look
• More questions?  There’s a group on Ravelry for the GAL.

I spent some time yesterday going through the thread of participating designers – all TWELVE pages of them.  Lots of designers – many I recognize and some that are new to me as well.

Here are some of my faves.

Newsboy Hat Hannah, Tangerine Trees, Jamison Square, Ricochet, Lonely Road and Skipperling

October sunrise, Zippety, Colophon, Bluet, Sea Dragon Shawl and Red Robin Shawl

Antiquity, The Vampyre, Cycles Reversible Scarf or Wrap, Wickershanks, Phi and Biellese

Lichen, Lawsonia, Trilinear, Piewhacket and Rendezvous

23 designs – mostly smaller items like mitts and cowls but with a couple pullovers and larger shawls thrown in as well.

I couldn’t possibly knit these all in the GAL but I do plan to buy a few of the patterns later this week.  A couple have been in my faves for a while so why not save a couple bucks and support indie designers?  A win-win in my book.

What are you considering?  With so many designers I’m sure I missed a few.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

As we all know, my struggle is with follow through.

So far so good though.

I’m done with the ribbing. Miles of 1×1 of ribbing.

And then the short rows with cabling on the WS rows.

Did you hear me?  WITH CABLING ON WRONG SIDE ROWS.

Then we have the adjustments to remove a bit of the cabling on the front. Because we all know I can’t leave well enough alone.

And so far? Total, unabashed love for this pattern.

And what rock have I been under that this is my first introduction to Annamária Ötvös patterns? This is one of the best patterns I’ve used in a very long time. It’s complex and she’s thought it out in great detail. And bonus – it comes in 10 sizes. Given the amount of detail in the pattern that’s a lot of work.

I’m very impressed.

And so of course, I’ve already started looking at more of her patterns. A couple more faves for the future…

Tatu – fun stitch pattern and less than 2 skeins of single ply fingering.  As if I needed any more excuses for single ply fingering.

Gaufres – a removable cowl. Genius.

Prelude – this looks like a simple, versatile, well-fitting pullover in a great gauge.  Hello  single ply fingering.

I know. I’m never satisfied with what I have on the needles.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

I’m participating in the My Sister’s Knitter WIP KAL – kicking off this Monday, September 1st.  We’re all feverishly casting on projects this weekend so we have more WIPs to work on.

I realize this may be contrary to the spirit of a WIP KAL, but it’s TONS OF FUN!

I’ve been looking through my rav faves and new designs and have a few that I’m considering.

Sweaters

Raspberry Tart just came out this week and omg the love.  Top down, wider neckline, fun cables.

Baby Cables and Big Ones Too – now that I’m a smaller size I think this one will be a flattering fit and I love the juxtaposition of the cables against the garter stitch.

Shawls

Auri also just came out this week too.  Love the three related colors making a lovely gradient.

And So Are You has been on my to-knit list for a long time.   Andi knew that and proposed a little KAL for the two of us.  Of course, I have no yarn for this one.  Cue the violins.

Hitchhiker in the Tuxedo yarn I got a few weeks ago.  I think the yarn needs garter and a black and white long scarf will see a lot of use this winter.

Cowls

Jet Set Cowl looks like a lot of fun to knit and a highly wearable piece too.

Brush Creek Cowl but of course I want it in a slow color change yarn like Noro Sock (which I don’t have).

Starshower is so pretty for a solid or semi-solid sock yarn.  And I have a few to choose from.

Riverbank looks great as a cowl or a capelet.  Love the versatility.

Mittens

Clepsydra uses twisted stitches to make a pretty zigzag pattern

Grove uses twisted stitches but makes a leafy pattern instead

And then Merion has tiny Maypole cables on the face of the mittens.

That’s Twelve – Count ’em Twelve – projects

Well a few of them are possible cast ons. I don’t expect to cast on all twelve but I do think I’ll probably cast on 4 to 6 of them though.

Good times.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

This is what our house looks like today…

 drywall dust.  everywhere.

 those windows will be over the kitchen sink.  yes we have no kitchen right now.

why yes that *is* a refridgerator in our living room

and here’s the temporary door the contractors installed so the girls can safely roam the second floor

We decided a few years ago to live in this house until we retired and so we’re making it exactly (ok, mostly) what we want.  It’s a 1920s Colonial so it’s a big job – we’re on the third dumpster.  It’ll be awesome when it’s done (in two more months) but for now we’re cooking on our patio and living on the second floor.

I just keep telling myself – October will be awesome.

That doesn’t mean there’s been no knitting, but it’s definitely lessened.

I’m happy to report some yarn acquisition has occurred

And my inspiration

Moda on the left and Orange on the right.  We named her Nova when we adopted her but the names sounded too similar and they both just answered to both.  Orange suits her anyway.

I’m planning socks out of the tabby yarn and a hitchhiker out of the tuxedo yarn.

I’m starting with the socks and I organized a little KAL for them in the My Sister’s Knitter group on ravelry.

Late every fall I lament that I didn’t make Little Pumpkin socks so this time I decided some public peer pressure might do the trick.  I was happily surprised by the number of people who also had them on their to-knit list but never made them.  Maybe we’ll have lots of new Little Pumpkins this fall?

Are you in that group too?  C’mon and join us!  They’re knit top-down but I think I’m going to do mine toe-up.  We’ll see – I’m winding the yarn and casting on today.

If you want to join the KAL just join the group on rav and post to the thread.  Simple and it’s fun to see all the peer pressure progress pics.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.