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.

There’s so much to love about Curls: Versatile, Wearable Wraps to Knit at Any Gauge

Overview

• Auto-pilot with flair – once you get going you’re repeating the same basic set of charts but the end result is stunning
• Small cast ons – cast on counts range from 7 to 16 but most are in the 8-10 stitch range.  This does mean the stretchy bind off will be your friend – you’ll have a lot of stitches to bind off.  Hunter recommends Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off
• Yarn flexibility – The designs are worked in yarns from laceweight to worsted.  Or use any weight yarn you like.  If you substitute a different weight you’ll need to determine the quantity.  See my recommendation below about a scale.
• Stitch variety – simple textured stitches, eyelets, twisted stitches, lace and cables.  Lots of options depending on your mood.
• Great shape – I envision new curl patterns popping up all over Ravelry.
• Awesome value – 14 curls for $19.95 (eBook) or currently $16.67 for the print book from Amazon
• Tells you the important tidbits – no guessing here about which slipped stitch edge to work and since the shape is new to a lot of us, she shows you how each shawl grows so you know what to expect.  Lots of other info too.  Hunter has you covered.
• Nice options for hand dyeds – even though she hasn’t worked up the samples in multi-shaded yarns, some of the patterns will look good in them as well
• Lovely overview of the new shape – Hunter goes over what makes a Curl a Curl – explaining the main components and giving us enough info in case we want to adjust the size for our yarn.

Recommendations

• Yarn (Food) Scale – you need to get yourself a scale that weighs in grams.  This one from Amazon is a nice choice at under 15 bucks and Amazon Prime – Ozeri Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen and Food Scale, Elegant Black. You’ll thank me later.
• Gauge – If you’re unsure about changing gauges, do up a curl in the recommended weight and needle size first.  People will start posting projects to Ravelry with different weights so you can learn from them.
• Helpful pages– read the pages on Hints, Gauge, Needles, Sizing, Charts and Blocking.  I know the last thing you want to do is read when you buy a knitting book but she’s included some great info.
• Styling – Hunter has included several pics with different styling options.  Even if you’re not interested in all the Curls, take a look at the ways she’s styled them.  They’re surprisingly versatile and she shows them draped, tied, knotted and with a shawl pin.
• Stitch Maps – Hunter has included Stitch Maps for many of the projects and she has a chart for every project – making it a great opportunity to learn stitch maps with the accompanying chart.  If charts aren’t for you, give Stitch Maps a try.  And even if you’re a chart-lover like me, click on to the site – there are over 1,500 patterns there for you to get familiar with Stitch Maps.

Final Thoughts

I’m so jazzed about this book – the shape and the stitch patterns look like fun to knit and to wear.  Definitely give it a browse!

I’ll catch you on the purl side…