2008 Knitting Resolutions....and more

Dawn at Texas Purl Gurl just reviewed her 2008 knitting resolutions so I thought I would do the same here. This is what I wrote back on January 1:

1. Make 6 pair of socks.
2. Make matching spring ponchos for my girls (pattern suggestions welcome!)
3. Learn to cable in the first half of 2008.
4. Learn to do either intarsia or fair isle, sometime in the second half of 2008.
5. Knit at least one item for charity.
6. Learn to use dpns, at least do one project with them.
7. Knit 5 times a week (would love to knit every day but I think that's impossible).

And the update on each:

1. I have made 2 pair so far. I started the first pair in 2007 but finished them this year so I'm counting them in the total. Since it took me 3 months to knit them, and almost 7 weeks to knit the second pair, I know I am not going to make my goal of 6 pair this year. To meet that goal I'd almost have to knit nothing but socks and although I loved making both pairs, I do want to knit other things too. So I'm going to revise that goal to make 4 pairs.
2. I couldn't find a poncho pattern I like for the girls and even if I found one now, I will never finish them on time to wear this spring, which is what I wanted them for. So I'm taking this goal off my list and will possibly put in on my 2009 goals.
3. I am currently making a mini-messenger bag which has cables on the flap. I am ready to start the flap so I should meet this goal very soon. I haven't knit much at all in the last week! I haven't lost my "knitting mojo" or anything like that, it's just been busy or I've been really tired at night.
4. I still plan to learn intarsia or fair isle in the second half of this year. I haven't picked out a project yet for that. Any suggestions on a good beginner pattern for either technique?
5. I haven't knit anything for charity yet.
6. I haven't knit anything with dpns yet either. Any suggestions once again for a good beginner pattern? Mittens or something? I plan to start making some mittens about halfway through the summer so they are done for next winter.
7. I think I've knit 5 times a week the whole year so far up until the last week or so. So I'm doing pretty good on this goal.

So here are my official revised 2008 Knitting Resolutions:

1. Make 4 pair of socks.
2. Learn to cable in the first half of 2008.
   
3. Learn to do either intarsia or fair isle, sometime in the second half of 2008.
4. Knit at least one item for charity.
5. Learn to use dpns, at least do one project with them.
6. Knit 5 times a week (would love to knit every day but I think that's impossible).

I guess they're the same except I changed the number of socks and deleted the ponchos.

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In other news:

**Awhile back I mentioned I was making a gift for a friend but I couldn't say what it was until she received it. She got it a few months ago! but I forgot to post about it. It was a dishcloth. She lives in North Carolina so I made her this:

**Podcasts! My sidebar is so not up to date. I listen to many more podcasts than what I have listed. In addition to knitting podcasts I now listen to at least 10 other misc. podcasts. Call me a podcast junkie! I will try to update my sidebar soon and post about some of my favorites. My current favorite knitting podcast is Stitch It! More later....

Pair of Socks #2

I finally started my second pair of socks last night. I'm making the Tidal Wave socks using my Tofutsies yarn.



I cast them on and frogged them THREE times before I got it right. I kept making stupid mistakes. I don't know how good my cast on edge is going to be in the end. I've only done 2 rounds so far so it's hard to tell. I'm not having a problem at all working with fingering weight yarn and smaller needles. I've crocheted many doilies in my lifetime with thread so I guess I'm used to using thinner yarn. It was still a good idea, I think, to use worsted weight yarn for my first pair of socks. But I also think I would have been fine starting out with regular sock yarn too. I should probably hold my tongue though until I finish one sock and see how it turns out!

I finished knitting the Sophie Bag about a week ago. I just have to felt it, but I have to find someone who will let me borrow their top loader washing machine first. I'm not sure when I'll get around to that.




I finished the gift I was knitting also, but it hasn't been mailed yet so I still can't say what it is or post a picture.

I'm debating if I want to exclusively work on my socks or if I want to also cast on for Fuzzy Feet. Part of me wants to just focus on only one project right now, but I think I might like a little variety too. I'll let you know.

I guess I haven't been doing a ton of knitting lately. I hope to get back into it more now that I started my socks.

Happy knitting!

Socks are Done! (and January recap)

I finished the second sock on Wednesday night. I haven't had a chance to take a picture and post until now. It's not the greatest picture but here they are:




It looks like one sock is smaller than the other in the top pic but it isn't. In fact, they are both exactly the same size. I did a good job on that anyway! :-) The color looks different in these 2 pics - the actual color is closer to the pic on the bottom, where they're on my feet. :-)

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January Recap:

On my needles when the month started:
-First socks
-Sophie bag felted purse
-Gift that can't be named yet
-Ballband dishcloth

Off my needles by the end of the month:
-First socks

Goals for February:
-Finish Sophie bag
-Finish gift
-Finish ballband dishcloth
-Swatch and begin second pair of socks, hopefully finish!
-Find a pattern for ponchos for my girls
-Start small felted purse pattern with Boku yarn

My boring knitting update

I finished the kitty dishcloth. It turned out SO tiny! 5.5" x 6.5" I don't know if it was supposed to be that small (the pattern didn't say) or if I knit way tight or what. I guess I did an okay job on it, doesn't really look that great but you can see the kitty on it so that's good anyway. :-)



I have 9 1/2" done on Lindsey's scarf. The scarf does NOT get wider as it goes down, that's just because of the camera angle or something. I'm satisfied with it so far.



I'm anxious to start some sort of *real* project, but I don't know what and I don't have the time or money to go to the LYS and look around, so I just started a simple baby bib using some of the tons of cotton yarn I have laying around (the only real *stash* I have, whoopie). I guess I can just work on these small projects along with Lindsey's scarf and consider it more practice until I decide what *real* project to do. I still have so much to learn anyway. All I know so far is how to cast on and off, and knit and purl. I watched my Nici McNally DVD the other night, the parts about increasing and decreasing, but I didn't actually try it yet. I just watched.

THANK YOU to everyone for the great podcast suggestions! I downloaded five million and one episodes and can't wait to hear them all! As I listen to them and decide which ones I like I will add them to my links. I'm on Episode 2 of Sticks & String which is the Australian bloke (as he calls himself!) and I'm enjoying it so far!

Headband

My beautiful daughter modeling the headband I made:

(sorry it's hard to get a good picture since the headband is navy blue and her hair is so dark)

She's also wearing her princess dress up clothes including butterfly wings. She walks around all day in that stuff!

I'm currently working on the Kitten Dishcloth, on row 10 of 40. I'll just take a picture when I'm done (if it turns out!). I was sort of encouraged after finishing my first 2 projects that I was getting the hang of knitting (somewhat!) but now again I'm feeling like every stitch is a struggle and I have soooo far to go to really be comfortable with knitting. I'll keep at it though!

I'm reading the book Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and laughing my head off! (and learning a lot too!)

Done!

My first knitted item!



I didn't notice until I was 3/4 done that I made a boo boo in one of the rows.


Kept knitting where I was supposed to purl. (I was watching the Packer game while I was knitting, guess I got caught up in a big play or something *G*.) But it's just a dishcloth, I don't mind the mistake.

I'll finish the headband for Lindsey today, THEN what am I going to make? I have yarn to make her a scarf but can't decide what pattern I want to use. I've gotten several suggestions for easy patterns for it but nothing really trips my trigger. I guess I may just start another dishcloth while I figure out what to make next.

I love that there are so many free patterns out on the internet. But there's nothing like browsing through pattern books (over and over and over). I have so many crochet patterns, sometimes I think I have more fun looking through them deciding what to make than I do actually making the item. LOL I don't have any knit patterns yet, but I do have a few books from the library.

Any suggestions for what I can make next?