New Year's Resolutions

Entree to Entrelac: The Definitive Guide from a Biased Knitter

1. Learn entrelac! Armed with Gwen Bortner's latest book, I am confident I can master this technique.

2. Get my teeth cleaned. For serious. Like many people, I hate going to the dentist more than anything else, but I can put it off no longer.

3. Get a physical. It's been a while...longer than I'd care to admit. Not a good thing to put off!

4. Start working through the design to-do list in earnest....because it keeps getting longer.

5. Knit Tyler a sweater. Finally, after ten and a half years of us being together, he will finally have a hand-knit sweater! Albeit, it will look like all of his other sweaters (a black V-neck, perhaps with some ribs, but nothing fancy - he's just a basic guy.) But this one will be extra warm and made with love!!

6. Master colorwork knitting. I've made several colorwork projects that have turned out quite nicely, but specifically, I want to be able to knit a pair of socks that I can fit over my heel. I just got Melissa Leapman's book for christmas, so should at least be on the right path.

7. As always - destash, destash, destash. This will be the third year of keeping track of projects made with yarn I shopped for in my stash. In 2009, I completed 64 knitting projects with yarn from my stash. In 2010, I only made 24 projects (with a stash-funded sweater still in progress)...which I suppose answers my question as to why there is still so much yarn in my stash! Clearly, 2010 was more about re-stashing than de-stashing. I suppose I can also claim (or blame) the influx of design work for the huge discrepancy in destashed FO's between the last two years. There is also the issue of yarn that has been gifted to me, which I'm never sure if it counts as That Which Can Be Destashed. My feeling is, the year it's given to me, no, but in the years that follow it can be counted as TWCBD.

At any rate, my goal for destashed FO's for 2011 is going to be an immodest, improbable, and quite possibly insane figure of 100. I'm all for blowing 2009 out of the water, and hitting triple digits would just feel good!

Comments

Overdyeing A Finished Knit

Even after just a few years of knitting or crocheting, you're bound to have some finished projects lying around that never get worn or used. After 10+ years of crafting, I have more than just "some" or "a few"....and with my ongoing quest to declutter my house this year, I've become obsessed with going through these forlorn projects and making some Big Decisions. Sometimes, they are perfectly fine and just need a new and loving home. Other projects may have not turned out quite right: there might have been some mistakes in the knitting that I thought I could live with, or the yarn was gorgeous but not well-matched to the pattern, or my taste has drastically changed since I finished making the project...in any case, why on earth did I keep knitting?! Who knows, but I don't feel good about gifting anything that falls into this category to someone else. These projects have been relegated to the "frog pile" (or should I say, frog pond?), to b...

Easy DIY: Beaded Vintage Snowflake Ornament Kits from Solid Oak Inc.

I was really excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new as part of my "Christmas in July" theme this month. The kind folks at Solid Oak Inc offered me a chance to review one of their Nostalgic Christmas beaded crystal ornament kits I couldn't resist. My tree is already full of ornaments I've inherited or been gifted from other family members and friends, so these pretty crystal beaded ornaments will fit right in I think! I was super impressed with this compact little kit , which includes everything needed to create three gorgeous vintage-style ornaments - just add a pair of round nose pliers (I found mine on Amazon for less than ten bucks). The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a...

What If I Didn't Add Heels?

Last weekend, I finished the first sock with my Waterlilies yarn , and just for yuks, I tried it on even though it was basically just a tube sock. Much to my surprise, it fit really well, even without a heel. Who knew? So, that got me thinking: what if I just didn't add the heels? I never thought a tube sock would actually fit nicely, but I genuinely like the fit, so...why spend time to add the heels? As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.... Let's say I decide not to add heels once the second sock is done - there will still be placeholder yarn for the afterthought heels, as you can see above, so should I leave it in and just weave in the ends? Or should I remove it, put the live stitches back on needles and at least graft them together using more of the Waterlilies yarn? I plan on mulling all of this over as I knit the second sock, and I'd love to hear your opinions of what you think would look best (or if you think this whole "n...

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