An Update on my Challenge.

Hello everyone, and happy Valentines day to you and yours!

Well, I have gotten off to a strong start on my year long sock knitting challenge, and I am happy to say that I have worked on, and completed 5.5 pairs of socks. I have half of my Rockin Sock Club kit done, which makes the half of a pair of socks. With that said I now have 24.5 pairs of socks to go, and I have yet to run out of steam......... or sock yarn for that matter.

So far I have knitted the following:

1. A pair of plain black socks for the husband.
2. Eunice by Cookie A. (From her book Sock Innovation)
3. Genetian by Lisa Stichweh (Free Ravelry download)
4. A plain pair of purple and blue striped socks.
5. Raven Swirl Socks by Cookie A. (Available through Blue Moon Fiber Arts)

Hopefully I will finish the socks I am working on, and then move onto several other pairs I have planned.

Anyhow, I have much knitting to do, and my next post shoud have the first installment of the Hazel Knits Sock yarn club.

See you all then!

2011 - Year of the Sock!

With the dawn on a new year, and a new decade for that matter, it came time again to decide on this year's knitting challenge. However, the truechallenge was to decide on what to do this year to make it stand out above all the rest. My first instinct was to continue in last year's theme and knit 11,000 meters of yarn, but that would get old since I had done that already. i thought to knit eleven sweaters or shawls, but sometimes, even I take a few months to finish anything larger than a mitten.

Stuck in my quandry, I began to look forward in the year for inspiration. Many of the events I looked at happen every year, and none had any themes that I could turn into a year long challenge. I was close to giving up when I saw it, the one event with a theme that I could use to make a year long challenge, and have tons of fun while doing it.

SOCK SUMMIT!

Now to make a long and boring story short, I plan to knit thirty (yes) pairs of socks in one year. And to tie it into my diet that I started at the beginning of the year, I set the following rules:

1. No more that two socks may be knit on a circular needle.

2. All ends must be woven in to consider the socks completed.

3. Socks must be made to fit a human being. No catsocks, no dog socks, or hampster socks.

4. If I cheat on my diet, I must deduct one pair of socks from the total number of pairs knitted. Ewample: I have worked three pairs of socks. I sneak a cupcake, I have to deduct a pair of socks, leaving me with two pairs of socks.

5. Socks started before midnight December 2010 may count toward goal, yet any socks not completed before 12:01am Janurary 1, 2012 may not count toward the goal.

With that, I have to get off the computer now and get working. Thirty pairs of socks is alot when you think about it, and well, I have 59 socks (Thirty times two is sixty) to go.

Happy knitting.

What a Long, Strange Year it has Been.

First off, let me say that I do not like writing these Year in review things. Frankly, no one really cares that Lindsey Lohan went to jail for the umteenth time this year after being caught with drugs yet again, (you want to shock me, tell me when she gets cought with a book) and if you follwo this blog, you pretty much know what is going on in my life. However here is an EXTREMELY brief synopsis of how the year went for me:

News Year Day, Madrona Fiber Arts, son turned 5, Sewing and Stitchery Expo, Husband's Birthday, signed up for the Hazel Knits sock yarn club, Disneyland and Universal Studios, new spinning wheel, Oregon Flock and Fiber, Snowmageddon four hour commute home, Thanksgiving, work sucks, Christmas, OMG! Final batch of yarn club shipment.

With that all said and done, I now give you the final shipment of the Hazel Knits Yarn Club for 2010!

As you can tell, Wendee has once again outdone herself, and included a great suprise in this shipment in the form of a project bag printed with a blue sheep to match the yarn colors. I had so much fun this year that I plan to sign up for this club again next year, as well as the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin Sock Club. Awesomeness!

In other news I have the final totals for my year long challenge to see it I could burn down my stash by knitting 10,000 meters in a year. Well, it was a great challenge to see if I could keep from buying new yarn throughout the year, and I slipped up a few times, but I managed to do it and then some.

The total is (imagine a drum roll here): 12,047 meters of yarn knit in a single year!

I have a few ideas for next years challenge, but haven't completely decided on what to do. I will post it early next year though.

Until then, Happy New Year! See ya'll on the flip side.

A Descent into Madness Part 5: Completion.

I finished the Lyra cloth tonight, and I am happy to say that it turned out great, after blocking it on a new set of lace blocking wires that I recently bought at Cultured Purls on my way home from work yesterday.

Now onto the next adventure.

A Descent into Madness Part 4.

Well, here is the update.

I finished the knitting, but now need to block the darn thing. It took me two days to do the crocheted cast off, but I did it.

Now I just need a set of Blocking wires.

A Descent into Madness Part 3.

I know it has been a while since I have updated this blog about my ongoing projecct that is the Lyrs tablecloth, so here it is. I last left off on row 149, which took me up through a flower motif and I am working on the corner leaf panels. It is a bit difficult to remember sometimes though where you have to do pattern repeats to create the corners. I solved this problem by placing diffrent colored stitch markers right before the panel to remind me where to do the repeat from the chart.

I have also learned to ignore the prevous row as charted because I was getting confused as to what I was doing because the charted row I was knitting on made no sense in the charted row I had just completed. None of the symbols matched up and it was making me crazy. Sometimes you just have to let things flow.

Anyhow, until next time.

A Descent into Madness Part 2

As you can see from the above picture, I finally lit a fire under my own butt and started the Lyra Doily. I have found the first few rows to fly by quickly and they have been somewhat easy to work. However, as I progress further into the project, I am finding it a bit more difficult to work, and sometimes have to rely more heavily on the chart as I go instead of my memory and my ability to repeat the pattern of stitches from it.

I've still got a way to go, but I think it may all go smoothly. However, I may be wrong.

A Descent into Madness: Knitting Lyra.

About a month ago, I made an aquisition that gave me a bit of a headache and made me swoon, not to mention scared the S**t out of me. I managed throught the Lacis website to purchause the pattern for Herbert Neibling's "Lyra" tablecloth pattern.

I then did the really dumb thing of buying the yarn and needles before recieving the pattern and now I am comitted to it.

Frankly, I may have to take a leave of absence from work and check myself into an asylum to knit this one.

However, I am comitted, and I will knit this amazing pattern for my Christmas Pattern if it kills my Family (note I did not say me).

I may need to order a set of lace blocking wires though.

Anyhow, Wish me luck as I go insane slowly.

WWKIPD!

Yes, yesterday was World Wide Knit in Public Day, and it was great. I met up with a group of ladies at Cafe Felice at the Landing in Renton, and ended up spending about three hours there just chatting and knitting. It was great fun to see what projects were being worked on and to meet new people.

i may have even found a fun knitting group to join.

Totals at This Point (Finally)

It's that time again. I have some totals in the distance knitting challenge I have set for myself. Happily, I have not added any more yarn to my stash, and at this point, have gone through a TON of yarn, and made some really great projects.

To this date, I have removed 6,632 meters of yarn. Leaving me at over half way to my goal for the year.

I have a few more projects lined up, so I will be doing more knitting, and remove more yarn from my stash.

Not so Much Knitting Lately....

Right now my life has become a bit more chaotic than I would like to let on, I am working on my upcoming trip to take my son to Disneyland. Which I leave for in fourteen days, and I have gotten sidetracked by all those wonderful beads I have ben hording over the years.

However, I have made some time for spinning and a bit of knitting. I hope to knock out another fab project soon. I just need to find the time.

Totals for February.

Well, with February drawing to a close, I thought it would be time to list off the totals for this month. As you may remember, my purchases at Madrona Fiber Arts left me with a negative total of 1,394 meters knit.

Well, I got bit again by the fiber bug and added some more to the stash. Two skeins of Hazel Knits left me with a total of -2,012.

However, I am still determined to bring that total back to the positive.

I have used up a further 234 meters of Cascade 128.
Baby Cashmirino used 125 Meters.
Another ball of the GGH Scarlett used 105 Meters.
And I used two skeins of Lornas Laces Shepherd Sock to use a total of 394 Meters.

This brought my total to -1,154.

I forgot too, I started a scarf that used two balls of Rowan lenpur Linen. Another 230 Meters used there.

Well, the total is still a negative 924 meters, but I still have ten months left.

Until next time.

And Another One Bites The Dust!

I think it is needless to say, but I will anyways. I finished the Linen Stitch Scarf. I can't wait to wear it out around town, and it is cold enough for it.

Another project down.

Some More Totals.

So the last time I posted, I had a negative total for how much I knitted. Well, I have some more to add and a picture of on of my finished projects.

First the Picture.

I finished the baby jacket I was working on for my future nephew who will be born in April or May. Suprisingly enough, I was ver impressed on how it came out. Many times my projects refuse to cooperate with me and leave me frustrated.

Now for the totals.

I started from last time with -775 meters knitted and I have finished another project and started another one while still working on the sweater I was working on last time.

Anyhow, Here they are:

In finfihsing the Linen Stitch scarf, I used up 480 Meters of yarn.

The sweater used up another 117 meters of yarn.

The hat I started has now used up 105 Meters of yarn.

This brings my total to -73 meters of yarn.. Still in the negative, but doing good. I have made a bit of room in my stash and used up all of my Kiogu KPPPM on the scarf.

Until next time!

The Totals so Far

As you all know, I am trying to knit 10,000 meters this year and haves set some very strict rules to ensure that I do not just spend a ton of money replacing the yarn as I knit it down.

So here are the totals so far.

I used 1 ball of Marble chunky in finishing the Weekend Jacket, 312 Meters.
I used 1 more ball finishing the Baby Yours Sweater of Louet Gems, 160 Meters.
I then started knitting the Stockport Sweater using 3 skeins of Cascade 128, 351 Meters.
I then bought some Baby Cashmerino, -1375 Meters.

This all left me with a total of: -775 meters knit so far. I am off to a bot of a shaky Start, but I will still continue to work onward toward my goal. I have the Stockport Sweater to finish and I am working on a Linen Stitch Scarf, both of which will use pu a great deal of yarn and leave me back in a positive total of meters knitted.

Of to work I go again.

I Finally Finished Them

After weeks of searching for the perfect buttons for my gloves, I wandered into Weaving Works one afternoon and found these vintage looking dichoric glass buttons just begging me to buy them. So, after debating which color I liked the most, I settled on the reddish orange ones and finished my beautiful Cashmere and silk version of the Lamarr gloves from Rowan Magazine.

And with that down, only about a thousand more projects from Rowan I want to knit.

New Year, New Challenge.

As I mentioned before, I have rethought the monthly challenges that I normally would be talking about now, because I just found it to stressful to try to complete projects in the time allotted and, I was not having much fun working on them in the process.

Thus, I came up with a new idea for the challenge.

Instead of going month by month this year, I decided to turn the entire year into one long challenge, and that way I got to work on anything I wanted and, in the process, knock down my stash (Which is completely out of control).

So, with that, this year I plan to knit 10,000 meters in an all out knitting blow out.

I had to have rules though, and that was where I got stuck. However, I managed to come up with some very simple ones that will make for some interesting knitting in the next year.

1. Any yarn bought throughout the year must have the amount of it's meters subtracted from the amount knitted. EX: 1,000 meters knitted minus 500 meters bought, equal a total of 500 meters knitted. The exception to this rule is fibers, as it is harder to guess how many meters will come from it.

2. Hand spun yarn counts as it's meters times plys. Ex 100 meters of 3 ply hand spun equals 300 meters.

3. Projects begun before 1/1/2010 may not count in whole toward the total. However, subsequent balls of yarn used AFTER January 1, may be counted toward the total.

4. If a project has to be ripped out, the balls of yarn used may not be counted for a second time toward totals.

With that, I am going to set out on a year long challenge to knit my stash down to a more manageable level, and creat some awesome project in the meantime.

Rowan Holiday: Part 4

With the end of this month, I am sad to say that I failed to complete the Lamarr Gloves on time.

I have knitted both gloves and they have been pressed, but I have not yet found time to go out and get some really nice buttons that will look awesome against the luxurious cashmere that they have been knitted from.

Whit that, i have decided to rework the challenges that I set for myself a bit because I find that going month by month is a bit stressful at times, and is taking some of the fun out of just sitting down and knitting a nice project.

I will post again soon in the new year with my idea on the next challenge I will set for myself.

Until then Happy New Year!

Rowan Holiday: Part 3.

I know it has been a long time since I have talked about my lovely Lamarr Gloves, but I have been quite busy with the season, and other things.

I have however, managed to knit the second glove and as of this post I am blocking it, and am waiting for it to dry completely before I join the side seam and begin working on the button holes that will complete this month's challenge and make my goal a reality.

I just need some very fabulous buttons for them now.

Rowan Holiday: Part 2

With all the excitement and the chores that come with the Holiday Season, I have had a hard time finding any spare moments to just sit and Knit. However, whenever I do, I just go for hours.

This Month I will feel like I have accomplished something if I finish my gloves by the end of the month, and really feel good if I manage to get started on another project. However, between my annual tradition of making a new Ornament for the tree every year, wrapping presents, baking, and shopping, I have found the work to be slow going.

I did however, manage to complete most of the first glove, but I am now worried I will not have enough yarn to complete both gloves. I don't mind though, it gives me a cheesy excuse to go back to the yarn store.