Some progress

Actually, I have knit quite a lot since my last post, but I haven't been very good at taking pictures and posting on my Blog. As for my goals... One of my goals for River City Knitters was to knit a Fair Isle sweater this year. When I wrote that down, I was thinking of a sweater for me. A couple of months later, I was thinking about knitting one for one of my 11 year old granddaughters. By June, I was thinking about knitting a Fair Isle sweater for my 4 year old great granddaughter...now, well, we have to dress a teddy bear for our Christmas charity project, so I'm thinking my bear will be wearing a Fair Isle sweater! Can anyone say "downsizing?" I have knit tons of scarves with some railroad yarn and I am happy to say that I think that I have knit the last of it. That is a major stash buster. I'll post the pictures on Ravelry soon and post them here also. I've knit about 12 Fair Isle hats for charity and one for a Christmas present. Which reminds me, I have to have at least one Christmas project per month in my Christmas box...which I have done. I need 12 charity hats turned in and I have done that also along with 3 baby blankets. I needed 20 items made completely from stash yarn and I have done that also. So...maybe Alina will get her Fair Isle sweater after all...but then, I have a spider sweater to knit for Eli, and a shrug for my daughter and Fair Isle hats for Travis and Jessica...it looks like I will be knitting to the last minute after all.

I've been going through my projects on Ravelry to see what I am going to knit for Christmas presents.  I have a fairly large stash and I have been working through it..  Here's what I've done.  First, I brought down about 16 plastic see through storage bins...about the size two shoe boxes, and put them along the wall that I face when I am on the computer.  Next, I pulled up my queue in Ravelry and started deciding what I already had yarn for.  I couldn't believe how much easier it was to do it that way.  Usually, I either see a pattern and then go upstairs to find some yarn.  Of course, that usually means I will get distracted and spend hours up there and finally come down stairs having forgotten why I went up there.

After I paired the yarn with the pattern, I put them in a bag to start to swatch.  Decisions, decisions.  After going back and forth a few times, I finally decided to get the yarn first and see what other people in Ravelry had made from it.  That was a whole lot easier.  I settled for some patterns that would work on my yarn and then started swatching.  When I got what I liked, I made up a project in my notebook (on Ravelry) and put them first in a bag, and then back in the plastic boxes so I could see what I had lined up.  This was much better.

About 10 days ago, my mother had a small stroke.  I have the idea that I will need to go to Virginia and be with her.  My two sisters are in VA and have been taking turns being with her, but I am the only one free enough to go up there and stay.  She has made a remarkable recovery, but she isn't ready to be on her own.
I was just there for several months and I enjoy just sitting and knitting with her.  She has handed down a love of knitting to three generations and I feel very blessed.

2012 UFOs and projects

Here's my list for 2011. I am not sure I can get it all done, but at least I have listed a group from which to select.

UFOs:
Blue baby afghan - Leisure Arts #3049, Our Best Knit Collection
Ann Norling Vest
Cranberry sweater
Green Doll outfit
Blue Doll coat
Crimson Cutie - 3
Green Fair Isle - I frogged this so it is technically not a UFO
Pastel Toddler Sweater
Eli's Aran
Alina's Aran - frog
Border Options Sweater
Red Ruffles Sweater


Projects:
Purple Boa - Addie - finished
Hat for Julie - finished
Boa for Trish - finished
David's Scarf - The Dudester Scarf - finished
Hats for T.E. and Evan
Fair Isle felted bowl
Prayer Shawls (2) - finished
Fair Isle for Addie, Victoria and Eli
Felted tote bag
Triple Moebius bowl
Moebius bowls
8 Stash Baskets - 1 finished
Crochet laundry basket - almost finished
Grand Plan Top-Down Capelets - Jan (not sure about this)
Star Wars hat and sweater for Charles
Aran Cardigan for me
Hooded Pullover - Leisure Arts #3049, Our Best Knit Collection
Qiviut cowl
6 headbands
Grey scarf
Grey hat
DNA hat and scarf - Lee
5 Aran hats
8 Fair Isle hats
6 Fun fur hats
30 Earflap hats
12 Cancer hats
Felted purses - moebius - Christmas gifts
iPod cozies
12 coffee cozies - 7 finished
6 felted bowls - 1 finished
3 Tea cozies - 1 for Jan
Scrap yarn shawl
Scarf and tam - finished
6 Charity afghans
Doll Clothes - 12 outfits

Knitting hats and UFOs

I have been knitting up a storm and really cranking out the hats. I've found an earflap hat that I love. I've made 7 of them from Wool-ease with several variations. I'll try to get some photos up soon. It seems like I can't get either of my counters to the end. I keep adding hats to my hat counter and finding new UFOs to add to that counter also. I found a ripple afghan in the attic that I am turning into a Christmas present. I always liked it, but I made it for a friend and before I could get it finished, they moved and had a completely different color scheme. The new recipient has just bought a new house with lots of space to fill up, so this is perfect...a gift I love for people I love.

The earflap hats are going well and they have a lot of space to do colorwork on them, so I just keep adding recipiants that I think will like them. I figure I have about 4 more of the earflap kind and a couple of Aran type that I have been wanting to make for ages. I'm making a hat and boa out of some eyelash yarn for my 4 year old grandneice, and I am hoping I get used to using that yarn. So far, it hasn't been all that great, but my sister assures me that it gets easier. For the little grandnephews, I want to make these balaclavas. Then I have a vest to make (It's half done), 3 crochet bags (1 finished today), some ipod carriers...one looks like a hoodie and is so cute! There's a Star Wars hat and sweater that isn't even started and 2 children's Arans and 1 Gansey half done. I think I am going to have to learn to knit while I sleep! Thank goodness some of these are UFOs and are already well on their way. Pictures will be posted and a new list made.

Christmas Knitting

I can't believe it is almost November! I have hardly begun my Christmas knitting. Fortunately, there are a few things on my UFOs that are presents, so I am already halfway there for some gifts. I live in Florida and it is hard to think about Christmas when it is still near 90 degrees. There isn't that sense of urgency you get when you feel the frost in the morning and see the leaves turn beautiful colors. My poor air conditioner ran all week.

I tallied up my Christmas knitting and I have a lot to go. I'm making Aran and Fair Isle hats this year with scarves or mittens to go with them for my extended family. I have a number of Arans I want to do next year and I thought I would just make swatch hats using the various patterns. It's a lot of work for a hat, so this makes it do double duty.

I also got another "ticker" and updated my UFO ticker for the holidays. They seem to help motivate me. I found 2 more UFOs that are perfect for Christmas presents, so I changed my UFO ticker to 22.

I'd like to make some of those beautiful Scandinavian mittens this Christmas, but I should have started them this summer. Who could think of mittens when was almost 100 degrees and we hadn't rain in over a month? As usual, I will be still knitting Christmas Eve.

My additional UFOs are:

9. - Lovely red Aran size 4 - sew together
10 - White novelty yarn vest -finish fronts

What projects are left?

I'll get photos up as soon as I find that charger cord, but here's what is left:

1. Baby vest - started for Charles, got off count somewhere and couldn't fix it. Now I am making it for Jonathan.

2. Lavender fluffy sweater for Addie. This one is just lacking the sleeves. It just got put on a back burner for a while - no problems.

3. Knit red coat for 18" doll - sew together

4. Knit blue coat for 18" doll - sew together

5. Knit green sweater and skirt for 18" doll - sew together

6. Red ruffled baby sweater - sew together

7. White baby sweater - sew together

8. One green hunting sock

AM I SEEING A PATTERN HERE???

Time to catch up

I can't believe it has been so long since I have written in this journal. I've been doing more on my Twaddle journal, and have been neglecting all my others. I decided to keep track of all the books I have read this year. I did that about 20 years ago and it was a real revelation.

So, where am I on my knitting? I still haven't bought any yarn and I have been trying to complete some old projects. I did get the yarn for Eli's sweater, but that was a special request, so it doesn't count. I have finished the body and one sleeve, but waited until I was in Virginia where she could try it on, before I finished. The sweater fits perfectly, so I'll be working on it again.

I've also got several pairs of socks on the needles and will get to work on them also. I see that there are only 137 days left until Christmas, so I'd better get some of them finished.

I am in Virginia housesitting again and my sister has me going to all of her knitting groups. That should put some spark in my knitting life. I am looking forward to going to the River City Knitters group in Richmond. I hope that someone there can show me how to strand yarn when using the English/American system of knitting. I do the Continental style knitting, but I a knitting a pattern with two colors and I am doing the main color with the Continental style and the accent color with the other. I have it all worked out except the purl in the English.

I love knitting this way when I am using two colors. It is so much more efficient that carrying and twisting the yarn. I'm thinking about making it my project of the year next year. Two years ago, I challenged myself to make socks until I could knit them without a pattern and it really worked. I might even combine it with socks for some really nice Christmas presents.