August Goals / September Goals

This was originally supposed to post on 8/31 - but you know what? I didn't hit the "publish" button at the appropriate time, which is really the most important step! I think that last week was the first time in at least a few years that I've missed a Monday post, the irony being that this was totally ready to go, I just had to pull the trigger. At any rate, August is over and September is here, which means that my favorite time of year (autumn) is just around the corner. Hooray!

Before I get ahead of myself, however, I need to evaluate those pesky monthly goals which I've gotten quite good at neglecting. At this point, I am questioning why I continue to do this each month, as the results are mostly me feeling bad for neglecting my original set of goals because new and more interesting things keep presenting themselves each month. Look! Shiny! There is no end to shiny things to distract me, and even when I am ultra-modest in terms of goal setting, I can't quite seem to achieve more than a 60% success rate these days. I guess it could be worse, but it could also be better, you know?

At any rate, I'm going to see this farce through til the end of 2015, so without further ado.....

Finished Flax!

AUGUST GOALS

1. Finish the flax spinning project-in-progress on my wheel. This one's left over from the Tour de Fleece, and it took a back seat once the Tour was over and I switched gears to working on my Stitches Midwest project full-force. DONE! I haven't blogged about it, but it has been instagrammed as proof.

2. Release a new pattern this month. It's pretty ridiculous that I haven't self-published any new patterns in the last several months - believe me, it's not for lack of ideas! Nope. But one of my patterns WAS used for a KAL in the Paradise Fibers Yarn Club last month...does that count?!?!

3. Finalize my holiday knitting plans. I've actually decided to purchase most of my gifts this year because I know I simply can't make enough things for gifting purposes. However, there are a few projects I do want to make if time allows, and planning ahead right now is probably my best bet at making that happen. DONE - I've decided I'm pretty much just knitting hats for the kiddos and calling it a day.

4. Start some projects with handspun yarn. I've already picked out some patterns to put my recently-finished handspun skeins to work, so it shouldn't be too much of a leap to cast on a few new projects this month! Or is it? Because I only started this one washcloth in my handspun flax yarn. Oops.

I'll be using my new blending board to prep for Spinzilla!

5. Show the scrap yarn blanket some love! I'm sure it's feeling rather neglected these days. I've added a paltry 4 squares for August. Which is better than the 2 squares I added in July, but still...

Yep, that was bleak. So why not move on to set some goals for me to ignore in September?

September GOALS

1. Spinzilla prep! Spinner registration is already open, and I just found out that I'll be traveling for the second half of Spinzilla. So I have a lot of preparations I'll be making ahead of time to ensure that I am able to spin a respectable amount of yardage while on the road. Oh, and I'll be returning to my role as the captain for Team Louet for the third year in a row - so come spin with us!

2. KAL it up. I'll be leading a KAL for Midwestern Knits which begins next Monday, and I've also joined the Perspectives Mystery KAL that started last week. Hopefully, I'll be able to resist adding any more KALs to my plate for the month of September!

KAL-ready!

3. Spin some gradient yarn to use in the yoke on my Pennant Cardi. I'll either use this pretty gradient batt that I bought from Classy Squid Fiber Co., or I may buy something at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool this coming weekend. Luckily, I have plenty of time to spin the yarns and decide which one will work best, as I'm not even done with the body of the sweater.

4. Check some holiday gifts off my list. Like I said earlier, I'm just knitting some small projects for the kiddos (mostly hats), so hopefully I can get everything locked down fairly early to avoid last-minute stress!

I'm reticent to set any more goals than that. September is going to be a REALLY busy month for me, and I'll be pretty thrilled if I can just keep everything chugging along without losing my sanity (or what remains of it) in the process!

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...

handmade by stefanie

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