New Year, New Goals

I realized in yesterday's post that I'm not crazy about resolutions - goals are more to my liking. I've been wracking my brain and wondering what my goals should be for my knitting. I have had goals even mid-year which helps with summer knitting. Let's see:

1. Finish my Inca Marl Coat (preferably before March) - the collar is going to take forever.
2. Finish the sweater I'm designing for Miss America - it's sat alone for 2 months now.
3. Take a class - I know I had this one on last years list but I still need to do it.
4. Learn to crochet (Kimberly if you read this I'm talking to you sister...this summer!)
5. Knit something I've never done before - gloves? something with a zipper?

Okay, I might add more but that will do it for now. What are your goals for 2010?

Year End Review

I realized that at the end of last year I made some resolutions about what I wanted to do with my knitting in 2009. As usual, resolutions aren't always met...let's see

1. Write up the pattern for my daughter's cardigan. - NOT DONE...should have written it when I finished knitting it...now I forget everythign I did.
2. Use the Berrocco Touche I have and make a summer sweater. DONE! But I don't really like it...here is what I made.
3. Design another sweater for my daughter...almost Done...have to make the sleeves and it is sitting in a pile while I do other things.
4. Start an advent calendar with at least 2 mittens a month. DONE! And used this Christmas with great delight...however Jennifer pointed out I need to make another one so both kids have one when they are grown up. Guess I should keep going on this.
5. Knit items ahead of season so I can wear them when appropriate. DONE! I made Annikki and Tilted Duster this summer and wore them all fall/winter. Right now I'm working on Inca Marl Coat which will be perfect for March/April wearing.
6. Take a class and learn something new. NOT DONE...sadly that didn't happen but maybe next year? It's hard to commit to a few weeks of classes when I substitute teach...I'm already booked 5 days in January.

Well, there is more green than red on my list so I guess my knitting resolutions were successful. Did you make any last year? How did you do?

I'm going to reflect on next year and give you a new list...it does help to have some goals.

Giving is So Much Better Than Receiving

Especially, when you knit something and get a reaction like my friend Kimberly did...check out this video on her blog. I know Kimberly's mom and her enthusiasm is contagious - I know that this knitted gift will be loved.

Recently, one of my non-knitting sisters asked me if I had any scarves in my store of knitted items. I had two, Saphira and Wisp (Ravelry links). So, I boxed them up and mailed them to her. In our family we draw names for Christmas and I didn't have her name on my list but I figured if you ask for a knitted item and I have you, you shall receive.

I called my sister before Christmas to make sure the box got there - she had stowed it away thinking it was a Christmas gift. So, I told her to open it and I had an audio reaction to the package that was similar to Kimberly's mom's reaction. My sister immediately decided on a grey sweater for the day and was going to wear the Saphira scarf with it.

Giving is definitely so much better than receiving.

The Stockings Were Hung By The Chimney With Care

An old, dear friend of my mom made stockings for our kids when they were born. In fact, she's made stockings for all 10 of my mother's grandchildren - now that is a devoted, special friend.

Each stocking has the child's name and birthdate at the top and she tailors them for boys and girls.

Here is #1 Son's stocking...sailboats and really good wool.


This is Miss America's stocking. She chose a different yarn for this one - more stretchy which serves well when it is overstuffed.

Another friend of my mother's had a knitting machine for years. She made these stockings for my husband and me when we got married - an unusual, wonderful wedding gift. They too have our names at the top.

They also are lined beautifully.

And the last stocking in our house is store-bought with a Sharpie taken to it for when we got our dog 3 years ago. I probably could take some thread and embroider her name but she really doesn't know the difference. Yes, there will be goodies in it for Missy to have tomorrow.

Here's hoping your stockings are hung by the chimney with care and Merry Christmas to All!

Christmas Ideas

I don't have anything interesting to show you from a knitting standpoint...everything is stockinette and boring to look at right now.

So, I'm showing you my idea for my knitting sister's Christmas gift. I'm quite sure she doesn't read my blog. If she does, she's never commented and it hasn't shown up on any of the visitor tracking.

In addition to the cowl I made and some other things, I found this book on Amazon - Hattitude. Love the name and even better it has some wonderful hats in it. While I am not a big fan of knitting hats (I always worry they won't fit and I hate wearing hats as they bother me), my sister has made lots of hats in the past. She and her family ski a lot and hats are essential. I did flip through it before wrapping it up and shipping it off and I think she might have some requests from her kids for new hats.

Now, a last minute shopping idea if you need it...I received a wonderful gift from my sister (we draw names in our family) which came via e-mail. She gave me a gift subscription to Netflix! They have all different levels - 1-3 DVD's and different numbers of months - it let's you accomodate your budget. She gave me 3 months of 1 DVD at a time and I already have my DVD waiting to be watched tomorrow when the snow starts falling!

Okay, I'm off to substitute teach in 6th grade social studies. Happy Friday!

NYC Weekend

I had the lucky opportunity to go to NYC this past weekend and spend a day and night with my mom and sister who were visiting from Florida.

We signed up for a walking food tour of Chelsea Market and the meatpacking district so we started the day by walking around the area. First stop - Washington Square Park where we realized we could see the Empire State Building through the arch.

Here are my mom and sister with their phones - they had to text and post on Facebook. After they were done they realized their hands were freezing and all texting could wait until later.

Chelsea Market is in what used to be the old Nabisco building. They had a display case of Nabisco memorabilia which I had to photograph as my father in law worked there for 35 years.

The place was beautifully decorated and the "ornaments" were made from recycled items - this big red globe is made of plastic cups. They had "snowflakes" made from white plastic forks, knives and spoons. They were really clever.

The tour was amazing and we had plenty to eat from a variety of stores and restaurants. It was a fun 24 hours in NYC with my mom and sister...no knitting, no yarn store crawl (wrong sister...she's not a knitter) but definitely lots of laughs and lots of fun.

Ulmus

Yup, I've cast on for another project...actually I did it so I would have something small to work on when I got into NYC this Saturday to have some fun with my mom and sister who are visiting for the weekend. I'll have some time on the train so I cast on Ulmus by Kirsten Kapur.

I'm making the smallest (11") scarf sized one using Knit Picks Stroll Handpainted in colorway Make Believe alternating with Knit Picks Stroll in colorway Midnight Heather. I know that variegated yarns can be dicey sometimes but since you alternate the solid with the variegated every two rows, you get a great effect.

I'm loving how this looks and I'm a little addicted to it - a very easy pattern and repeat.

Mother Nature Must Be A Knitter

Yes, I've decided Mother Natures knows how to knit. She used the wind and rain of this huge storm to remind me that I always should block my knitting.

I went out my front door and exclaimed "Oh, my sweaters!" when I found these three on the doormat all covered in pine needles and sopping wet! So, they are now "blocking" and I'm hoping the other sweaters on the wreath are hanging on tight.

Unbelievable Realization

Last night as I was drifting off to sleep, an unbelievable realization hit me...I didn't knit a single stitch yesterday!

That just shows that my arm is bothering me enough that I did other things instead. It is this odd pain when I raise my arm over my head - a stiff muscle almost. I think it comes from holding my arm up to knit.

Today, I'm doing other things too like shopping online and wrapping gifts. Tomorrow, I am teaching in 2nd grade (weather permitting as a storm is heading our way) and I can't knit while in 2nd grade - 6th grade is another story.

All this poses a question - are there warmup excercises for knitting? When I told my DH I had injured my arm from all that knitting I did, he laughed out loud and said he didn't realize knitting was a contact sport. Good thing I didn't have a pointy needle when he said that - actually, it made me laugh too.

Handmade Holidays - A Mini-Tour of Our Tree

I don't have much to show you on the knitting front...I'm in the boring part of several projects. I also think I've been knitting too much - I'm having some pain in my left arm after last week's vacation knitting marathon. So, I figured I'd give you a tour of some of the handmade ornaments on our tree.





Miss America made this from a kit last year - it is a petal fairy ornament. She had great fun doing it.















This is the first ornament #1 son made when he was 3. He was in preschool and the teachers told me that they were so proud of him for picking a religious picture for his Christmas ornament - in fact, he was the only one who did. Warms a mother's heart! This one always gets front placement on the tree and he's tired of me telling the story but it IS special.

This ornament is from our town's nature center. This is indeed handmade and painted to look like our train station. I have several of these and love them.

Okay, these aren't made but this cluster is always together in memory of my godmother. She gave me both angel ornaments and the violets on the glass ball make me think of her as she loved violets.

This was an ornament my godmother made back in the 1980's. Her daughter gave to it me the year after she died.

My first needlepoint ornament.

My second needlepoint ornament - maybe this is what inspired #1 son?

It's multi-dimensional with the nativity on one side and the 3 kings on the other.


Well, that's all for now...thanks for touring our Christmas tree with me!

Very Dear and Small

Our church youth minister and his wife just had their first baby...a little girl born about a month ago. I saw this pattern in One More Skein - it is called Nash's Garter Stitch Baby Sweater. It calls for Blue Sky Alpaca Cotton but I substituted Knit Picks Comfy which is delightfully soft.

I whipped it up over the weekend and just now put on two mother of pearl buttons that have lovely little flower etchings on them. Hopefully this very dear and small sweater will be worn in good health and happiness.

Ready for December

All my little sweaters have decorated the Christmas wreath! Now that I'm looking at it I might move a few around. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Also, in case you missed it, here is a knitters advent calendar online thanks to Garnstudio. Check it out...they had one last year and I really enjoyed it.