Gearing Up for February

So, I won't be posting much today — I was planning to post my uFo's, but instead I caught Jess' nasty sneezy/fluey bug. So I'm off to sit on my couch, drink warm liquids and knit. I have to work this afternoon, whether I feel well enough or not (which I don't) so I'm going to be girding my loins and screwing my courage to the sticking point.

And stuff.

I'll be back later -- hopefully with more content.

February is For Finishing (and it doesn't hurt to get a head start)

Those of you named Jess, who were reading my blog last year, will remember February Is For Finishing. The idea here is that we shall make solemn oath to Fearlessly number our uFo's, and upon enumeration we shall Finish, Fling or Frog them. This will thereby allow us to begin the spring months with needles unFettered.

So, here are the rules:

• During the first week of February, catalog and post your uFo's. No Fibbing or cheating here! You have to be Fearless. (On a side note: if you still have uFo's left over from last year's list... you might want to reconsider whether or not you actually want to knit them. I'm just sayin'.)
• Do Not (and this is very important) Do Not cast on any new projects during February. Swatches obviously do not count.
• Finish, Fling or Frog as many uFo's as you can. There may be a prize for the knitter who completes the most projects!

And, because no thing-a-long is complete without one....here is a button:


In the spirit of Finishing, I've already gotten a head start, and finished up a few old projects from last year.

Rowan loves his new Pirate Sweater -- he wouldn't have been more pleased if Cap'n Jack Sparrow himself had handed the sweater to him.

The project is made of Wool-Ease Black and Ivory on size 8 needles. For some strange reason, I have extraordinary luck getting gauge with Wool-Ease. Too bad the stuff wears for crap, idn't it? I believe this will be my last "major" project using Wool-Ease. Too many acryls were harmed in the production of this yarn.

Also, I still hate Intarsia. Forever.


In other news, I've finished the "Super Sekrit Project for Someone Who Doesn't Read This Blog." I'm counting on the fact that she doesn't read it (or won't remember come next December) because its going to be a Yule gift.

The observant among you will recognize Knitty's Branching Out...in a somewhat altered form. See, I was going to use up this one skein I had of Knitpick's Merino Style, but it only netted me half of a scarf. So I got my buddy Jess to order me another ball -- sure the dye lots would be different, but they wouldn't be too different right? Wrong. End result was I still had a skein of Knitpicks Merino Style with nothing to do with it, and half of a scarf. Nice. It was my daughter Rhi that offered me the solution. So here's my merino Scarf-cum-Bag (speaking of things that sound dirty but aren't).

The Final Tally

I've dug around my archives (and my knitting bags) and here are the final results for 2006:

drumroll please

In 2006 I completed a total of 9 projects. Given that I am the UFO Queen Herself, I feel pretty alright about that total. It includes, I would like to add, no less than THREE lace shawls. Yessirree bob. A complete listing can be found here.

Now the bad news. Well maybe not bad, per se. But, okay, less spectacular news. In 2006 I began 13 new projects. Not that 13 new projects is bad in and of itself, but my overall UFO count is not whatchacall "shrinking." The complete list can be found here.

Plans are already being made for "February is For Finishing." Details will be posted soon!

Merry New Year!

I have a bit of a tradition around here of setting myself knitterly goals for the coming year. I have some non-knitting related goals as well, the perrenial "lose weight/become more healthy" of course, as well as the ever-popular "become more financially stable." These were both on my list last year — and I will say that I'm in a better place in both arenas. I've lost approximately 30 lbs. (with minimal fat-recidivism) and we are no longer actively hemorrhaging money. So, more of that please for the coming year.

Now on to the (far more interesting) fiber related goals.

Goal the First: May I finish more things than I start*

Goal the Second: To finish or make significant progress towards finishing either Morgan or Rowan's Big Bed Quilt.

Goal the Third: To continue to stretch my skill set — to accomplish more fiddly feats of lace knitting, to begin designing patterns, and:

Goal the Fourth: In keeping with Goal the Third, to learn to spin.















Last year I kept a "started in 2006" and "finished in 2006" running tally. It may come as no surprise to those of you that know me, but that list isn't completely updated. In the next week or so I'll be posting the final tally from 2006. I plan to do the same thing for 2007, but I've decided to include quilting and sewing projects. After all, while this was initially fashioned as a Knitting blog, I do have other crafts, and by golly I'm giving myself credit wherever the heck I can.


*Stolen verbatim from Jess, if you were wondering.