2016 Goals

Here we are, almost an entire week into the new year, and I haven't posted about goals or projects or anything. A good guess is that punctuality isn't on my resolution list - I'm usually right on time to everything, all the time, even when the everything sucks (like a doctor visit or paying bills). But I've been thinking. A lot. What do I really want to achieve this year?

1. Continue knitting local. 

I really like where this took my stash last year. Purchases were fewer, but of better quality, and my stash is about 90% OH PRETTY right now.

2. Have a half-handmade wardrobe.

A bit of a doozy, yeah? I'd say my wardrobe is about 30% handmade right now and I'd like to up that percentage this year. I'll need to work on tailoring pants to suit me and get more comfortable sewing with knit fabrics but I think this goal is achievable given the amount of sewing I did last year. 

3. Self-publish more patterns. 

I have three or four patterns just about ready to go to a tech editor. The process is kind of long between what's in my head, the knitting, and the publishing on Ravelry and I tend to lose momentum somewhere in the last step. It's also pretty scary to put designs up for public scrutiny. Not that I'm a delicate flower but I would like people to like what I design if I'm mostly designing what I like, you know? 

So that's it. Three goals that are craft and hobby related. I have a few other goals for myself - reduce caffeine intake (down to one cup a day as of right now!), bring my lunch to work instead of buying it, and save money. I'm trying to introduce things slowly and build good habits instead of going full tilt all at once. How about you? Any goals for the new year?

2015 Wrap-Up

This year flew by. I made some really big changes in my life that have made some things seem much easier and other things seem much more difficult. First off, I'd like to address my goals from the beginning of the year:

1. Knit Local.

Mission accomplished! I did not purchase much yarn this year until October and November and then I went on a mini-spree and picked up items for my birthday and from Knit Fit! Most of my purchasing dollars went to local dyers, some of whom use local wool for their yarn, or to companies like Quince & Co, who use North American wool and have it milled in the U.S.

2. Knit more colorwork garments.

This is a bit womp womp. I knit two garments with colorwork accents and three accessories. 

This is my Prussian Glitter Cardigan. I've still got plans to grade this puppy and publish the pattern and that's on the list for 2016. 

The other garment is this Welcome to the Flock sweater. Knit in a baby size with some stash sock yarn, it was featured on the front page of Ravelry and got a ridiculous amount of love. Thanks!

The other accessories are hats and one isn't totally finished as it needs a good steam block and a pom pom.

3. Participate in Me Made May. 

Done! I petered out a bit some time in the middle of the month (taking selfies every day is difficult when you get up at 5am) but I did participate. Go me!

And Me Made May really brought me back into sewing and concentrating on creating a handmade wardrobe. There are a lot of social justice issues surrounding the clothing industry and I don't want to contribute to an industry that's concerned with making a $5 t-shirt (it's bad for most of the people involved in the supply chain, yo). 

Ravelry tells me that I only knit about 10k yards this year, which is inaccurate, because some of my yardage for samples and SECRETS haven't been added; I'd say it's more in the 20k arena. Overall, I knit less this year than in past years but I'm much happier with many of my FOs this year than I have been in the past. Go figure. As per usual, I have a huuuuge list of things I want to knit and some things I have to knit. For now, I'll be concentrating on that handmade wardrobe and coordinating new pieces that work together. Now, what should I cast on for New Year's Eve?

Gift Knitting

I won't say how many days there are before Christmas but I will say that my needles are clicking away at rapid speed. Luckily, projects are jumping on and off my needles at a satisfactory rate and all of the finer gauge projects are complete.

 Meditate by Elizabeth Doherty came off the needles in just under two weeks. It makes for excellent social, commute, and tv knitting. I knit the narrow and long version using an entire skein of Shalimar Yarns Paulie in the Land Katie Scarlett color.

Mr. B's annual Christmas socks took a couple of months to complete ( I started them late October) but I only knit them on the bus and at my Friday night knitting group. The yarn is Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in a Rogue color that I picked up during my birthday yarn-buying spree. I made this pattern up but it's basically a 72 st vanilla sock with a little band of seed stitch just under the cuff.

Aaaand then there are five hats in different states of completion as of yesterday morning. Two are very close to being done - a thermal check pattern that I made up in some Cascade 220 Superwash and Father Cables in YOTH father (which I decided to keep!).

I added a new person to my gift knitting list this year, mom to a friend of Little A's, and decided that my favorite hat pattern and some luxury yarn was the way to go. If she doesn't like this gorgeous combination there is absolutely no hope for her as a knitwear recipient and I can quietly remove her from THE LIST. This will be the third time I've knit this pattern and Shalimar Yarns Paulie will be an excellent combination with the texture on the Bristol Hat. I have two more hats that are complete and these five to complete and my gift knitting will be completely done.

I hope.

Knit Fit! 2015

A few weeks have passed since Knit Fit and I finally feel recovered from all of the socializing that attends volunteering and chatting with fellow knitters, vendors, and teachers. This year I spent quite a bit of time in the market compared to other years and purchased items that I had been thinking about over the course of the year. Honestly, the market gets better and better each year and I went a little bonkers this year.

My big purchase this year was one of Dave Yocom's hand-turned wood yarn bowls. Talk about a marriage of beauty and function; all of Dave's yarn bowls are natural wood and showcase the grain of the wood with no added dyes or stains. I chose a medium bowl in sapele mahogany with spalted maple inlays. Also pictured, a skein of Spincycle Dyed in the Wool in Devilish Grin. I have cast on plans for this skein - a Fandangle hat by Andi Satterlund - which I would like to finish by Christmas. 

A new vendor this year was Cedar House Yarns. This is a skein of Sapling Sock in Bark. Jenn and her husband are super nice and they've got a lovely color palette in their yarn line. The yardage is also really great in the sock yarn; 463 yards of superwash merino and nylon. 

Oh, Bumblebirch. Sarah was at Knit Fit last year but I was on a super duper tight budget at the time so I could only daydream about her yarns. This year I knew I wanted to purchase from her and I had such a difficult time choosing since I wanted ALL of her colors. In the end I picked up two different weights to try out. At bottom is heartwood, a fingering weight yarn (463 yds!), in the color Wednesday. At top is forage, a 4-ply worsted weight, in the color Honey. Wednesday is calling my name and is on the docket to be cast on post holiday knitting. 

Tweed yarn never looked so good. Intrepid Otter was missing from the market last year due to an unexpected illness but I was glad to see her back this year with this shiny new tweed sock yarn. I picked this bright, slightly scummy green to knit myself a pair of socks. Chubby Cloud was also back at the market with her awesome print bags. This year, I chose a zipper pouch in a great orange and yellow stockinette print with an olive green geometric floral print on the inside. 

Finally, (told you I went bonkers this year) I spent a good deal of time at the YOTH booth because WOW. Danny and Veronika have gorgeous yarns and introduced new colors to their palette, as well as a new yarn base. 

At bottom is the new 100% American sourced and milled worsted weight yarn, Father, in the Caviar color. This stuff is light and lofty and will make a fantastic hat. The upper two colors are both Big Sister, a dk weight yarn in sw merino, cashmere, and nylon, in rosemary (blue-gray) and mango (yellow). Mango comes from the new Juicy Palette, featuring various shades of yellow, orange, and green.  I also purchased a couple of gifts but I can't share those, sorry!

I love that the Knit Fit! market features so many local independent dyers and businesses. Putting my money back into the local economy makes me feel good about my purchases and that I'm supporting people who love the knitting industry as much as I do. I'll see you at Knit Fit 2016!

Update!

Hello, friends! I took a much-needed hiatus from most social media and internet-type stuff for the last month or so; I needed to recharge my batteries so I could finish this year up right. I have exciting knitting-related news to share early next year and lots of news to share right now. 

First, I've been knitting things in pretty much the same color palette. 

Lots of burnt oranges, dk blues and teals, and autumnal yellows. There's also been a lot of green yarn in the mix but I'll share that in another post. 

I volunteered at Knit Fit! this year and had a great time hanging out with knitters and crafters and vendors.  The marketplace gets better every year and it's a wonderful thing to see so many returning students and shoppers, teachers and vendors. 

Speaking of the market, I had several favorite booths but I only took pictures of two: Hazel Knits and Bumblebirch. I've got another post coming on my market haul since I went a little bit crazy this year.

Sarah, the dyer behind Bumblebirch, totally got me with her color palette.  I had a really difficult time choosing just one (so I got two). 

Wendee at Hazel Knits had a gorgeous display of knit sweaters, shawls, and other accessories. I just purchased some yarn of hers as a birthday present to myself in October but I went ahead and purchased enough for a sweater because who doesn't want to knit a fingering weight sweater in a color named Lichen? I also spent a great deal of time at some other booths, chatting with other knitters and with dyers, too. 

Now it's almost Thanksgiving and I've got oodles of gift knitting to do. And pies to bake. And parties to attend. And another year to wrap up in what I hope will be a nice-ish leisurely sort of way but will probably be more like a frantic sprint.

Fall Faves: Sweater Weather!

This is something of a 2-in-1 post. I love sweaters! A lot of the reason why I love fall is that the weather cools down enough that I can start wearing my fall/winter uniform of sweaters with skirts or dresses and tights with boots. Seriously. I pretty much live in that combination of clothes for about 9 months out of the year and only give up on my tights and boots when absolutely necessary. 

I recently finished Chuck after having some misfires on choosing a size and being able to knit two sleeves alike. But it all worked out! Looky there!

Pattern: Chuck by Andi Satterlund

Yarn: Cascade 220 in Palm

Needles: US # 7 (4.5 mm) Hiya Hiya Sharp Interchangeables

Mods: This is yarn frogged from Myrna so my stitches look a bit wonky but most of that will block out after repeated wear and wash. I didn't do a gauge swatch since the two sweaters call for the same gauge and thankfully that worked out just fine and dandy. I knit the size L (41) to the underarm cast on and then switched to the XL (45) for the rest of the body after knitting the entire thing in size L and deciding that I didn't like the fit of 2 inches of negative ease through my waist. The second sleeve got knit twice since the first time around I started the cap shaping in the wrong spot so the sleeve cap was off center. Phew! 

I'm so happy with this new sweater! Chuck sat in my knitting queue for a long time since I couldn't decide if a cropped pullover would suit my body type. I think it looks just smashing with my fit and flare dresses and will be a go-to piece this fall and winter. 

What's your favorite sweater? Do you have a uniform that you wear in the fall?

Fall Faves: Records!

If you've been a long time reader of the blog you'll know that I am a bit of an audiophile. I recently got rid of about 90% of my cds ( I have a small selection in my car) to make room for more vinyl. I'm not a huge fan of stuff but one of the few things I collect are records and my little collection has grown over the time I've lived in Seattle.

 My taste is pretty eclectic.

When fall hits I usually have the urge to listen to records all the time, maybe it's a throwback from high school and college where I'd go listen to music at a friend's house while we did homework? I don't know. What I do know is that records are in heavy rotation lately and I love it.