June Goals / July Goals

It's that magical time again, when I evaluate the previous months' goals and set some new ones for the month ahead. The last couple of months, I haven't done so well with staying on track, but I think I fared a little better for June, hooray!

Michigan Tee: Done!

JUNE GOALS:

1. Finish my Lake Michigan Tee - DONE! Finally! I blogged about it here.
2. Spinning Project: Some of the fibers I've recently stashed are calling to me! I actually finished two handspinning projects last month, a 4oz braid of fiber from the Cloudlover Fiber Club and 4oz of BFL from Mountain Colors.
3. Finish & release a new design in Baah Yarn. Wah wah....my designs in progress (yes, plural) have fallen by the wayside in the wake of increased work duties and responsibilities. This continues to be my white whale!
4. Knit swatches for a few designs that have been percolating in my head for way too long. I have been swatching and sketching! My ideas far outpace my available hours for completing them, regrettably.
5. Finish one more hat for my aunt (already in progress). Finished & blogged here!
6. Figure out what to do with my practice Tunisian crochet scarf since I have kind of lost interest in it. Maybe it wants to be a cowl? It's still in time out.
7. Complete 12 squares (3 each week) on my scrap yarn blanket. Success! I have added a whopping 17 squares to this bad boy. It's now 43" x 43"!

The scrap yarn blanket continues to grow.

Five out of seven is pretty good, especially considering that last month I only completed one of the goals I'd set (well, technically 1.5, but that's not really much better, is it?). I do think that I'm going to set some different goals for July since I am kind of getting stressed about things in general - and isn't knitting supposed to be a fun stress reliever?!?! From now til the end of the year, things are going to be very busy for me, both in my work and personal life. I find I am getting stressed when I focus on finishing a set number of things (and then feel doubly stressed when I fall short of the mark). I would love to do ALL OF THE THINGS - who wouldn't? - but it's just not reasonable to expect myself to be superhuman.

So, with that in mind, here are my July Goals:

JULY GOALS
1. Spin with Team Cloudlover for the Tour de Fleece. I was contemplating not spinning at all, but then I was invited to join this team and realized that I have a LOT of Cloudlover fiber in my stash. Plus, the focus isn't on cranking out lots of yardage - it's just spinning every day the tour rides. Even if that's just 5 minutes, I think I can handle that. Spinning is very relaxing for me, so maybe it will be a nice stress reliever in the midst of all the craziness! I have a few braids of fiber earmarked for Tour de Fleece which I hope I can spun through all of the way!

2. Spend a few hours each weekend working on design ideas - sketching, swatching, or pattern writing, it doesn't matter as long as I'm doing SOMETHING. It's really easy to avoid working on these when I'm focused solely on getting a finished pattern out of it, but if I can just allow myself to experiment without a lot of pressure, I might end up meeting that goal regardless.

3. Try to make some more of the small projects which have been in my queue for a while to clear the way for larger ones (ie SWEATERS) later this summer. This means: baby projects, toys, and the like! Anything that can be finished in under a week, more or less.

4. Destash! If I'm going to start a project....it better be with stash yarn and/or handspun. I've got mountains of yarn already, there is no excuse to buy more this month (but of course, I'll probably find one).

5. Continue to add to the scrap yarn blanket. Rather than setting a number of squares to knit for July, I'd like to focus on weaving in all of the many ends which are currently on this WIP and then adding some new squares as I have time - no pressure!

And that's really it. I know I'm stacking the deck for success on this one, but I think I will be more productive when I'm not worried so much about finishing huge amounts of projects just for the sake of saving face when it comes time to blog about them (also, apparently that isn't enough of a motivator for me...!).

May your July be full of stress-free crafting and spinning, too!

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

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

handmade by stefanie

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