It has been a great start to the year with my knitting. I finished my biggest-ever project. I started this blanket in 2015. And although there have been long stretches of time, my blanket received no love. I am so happy for her to be off the needles.
I am looking forward to the weather cooling down, so I can snuggle on the lounge.
I feel like posting this on the 6th of January is a little late, considering I have already finished the first project on my list. However, the first week has unfortunately gotten away from me. So before I post my finished project photos, I wanted to post my knitting plans for January to March.
I wanted to make my plan manageable, considering I am also challenging myself to read 48 books this year. I will post more about the reading challenge later.
I wanted to post once more before the start of the New Year.
We drove to Sydney for Christmas. It was great catching up with Family and Friends, if Only for a few days. We drove back home on Boxing Day. And although I did finish my Christmas socks on time, it has been far too warm to wear.
The Big Wool Show is an Australian online show born from covid lockdown. It has grown to an amazing two-day online event that showcases some of the best Australian wool producers and yarn dyers. They have two days of live interviews and free classes. If you are interested in watching any of the interviews. You can still watch them on the Big Wool Show Youtube channel. As well as the interviews and classes, they also have an online market store.
And although I had no place in buying more yarn. I couldn’t help myself. There were so many amazing yarns on offer. I believe there were over eighty stallholders. And If I’m honest, I only looked at some shops. I had a few dyers in mind that I wanted to support and, I came across a new to me dyer with a Dr Who and Firefly sock yarn club. How could I not purchase them?
All the links are still up on the Big Wool show website if you’re interested in supporting any of these amazing shops and dyers. Once my goodies arrive I will post photos.
For me, Knitvent is like smelling mangoes in the supermarket. It means that Christmas is on the way. I always see knitvent as a countdown to Christmas. The Christmas mugs are brought from the back of the cupboard, and Christmas movies appear on Netflix.
This year Helen is focusing on patterns that can be used with Advent yarn or scrap yarn. The first pattern is the Anthology Throw. The pattern requires 20g of 24 colours. However, as I will be opening my advent yarn on the 1st of December, I thought about knitting a Christmas version of this throw.
I went through my stash and came up with a candy apple Christmas colour range. All the yarn are Plucky Knitter in the Primo fingering range.
I absolutely love the way Helen writes her patterns. Helen always has a stitches count and a percentage column % in each pattern.
I am currently at 10%. I cannot see myself completing this pattern this year. Not with the other projects I want to work on. I am thoroughly enjoying this project.
My plan for 2023 is simple. Don’t just knit more. Finish more projects. I know it sounds straightforward. However, when I see a new pattern or new yarn pop up in my feed or inbox from one of my many favourite yarn shops, dyers and designers. I have an overwhelming urge that I must start that project or buy that yarn. And in my mind, that often feels like a circus. I believe I will finish that project. Until the next new pattern or yarn pops up in my feed. I’m sure you get the picture.
So my plan is Knitting Bingo. Not the type where you try a new designer or new technique. As great as that sounds. It’s about finishing the projects that I already have on the needles.
Now, just like Morgan Spurlock in Supersize Me. There are rules. And exceptions.
I need to focus on my current wips.
I need to stick to the set dates for any KAL’S I’m participating in.
When I do cast-on for a new project, I need to shop from my stash before I purchase more yarn.
I am allowed a new cast-on for a gift, my birthday, and any project on my bingo card.
As I have signed up for Knitvent and Skeindeer Knits Nordic Mitten club, I am allowed to cast on any of these projects.
The last two points of my list seem like cheating. However, every diet is allowed a cheat day. And going cold turkey has never worked for me.
Knitting Bingo will be in four quarters of three months. If I have three months, I can focus on larger projects. That is my main goal for the first two quarters.
I will finalise my list for the first quarter in late December.
So much has changed since I last posted. The two main changes are a new job and a move to Regional NSW. In between the changes, there has been some knitting.
My latest FO is my Halloween socks.
They are Vanilla socks with Fish Lips Kiss Heel.
Yarn: Desert Vista Dyeworks Viso in the Oddities colourway.
Now that I’ve dipped my toe in the water, I will leave it here for today.
I feel incredibly lucky that the current restrictions in Sydney haven’t had a considerable impact on our Christmas day plans. Unfortunately, we were planning on travelling down to Victoria in the New Year. And as there are now border closures in place we need to be patient.
On the upside, I finished my Christmas socks and last night for my Christmas Eve cast on I started a pair of Frasier Fir socks using Wren and Ollie.
I feel that I have achieved very little this week. I had such a busy week at work that I found myself wanting to just lay on the lounge once I got home. I did manage some knitting, although as I’m knitting the same two projects and reading the same book there really isn’t much to show. I’m currently reading Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz and although I’m enjoying it, it does feel like it’s taking a long time to get through.
I’m almost onto my third skein for my Journeycake Shawl. But as you can see it’s still just a lot of garter stitch.
I’m hoping for a slightly quieter week at work and a little more knitting time.
This was the title of an email that I received yesterday. I ignored this email until this morning as I thought it was a scam email. It turns I had won a two-night stay at one of Australia’s oldest Homesteads without realising I had entered. I saw a post from Tarndie on Instagram in regards to free postage and jumped on their website to purchase two skeins of an 8ply Polwarth and Alpaca blend that I had my eye on only a week before. What I didn’t realise is that if you made a purchase of $50 or more you went into the draw to win a two-night stay at their Stable studio.
Tarndie is somewhere that I have always wanted to visit, but I guess I have never felt worthy of staying there. It was built in 1840, and the same family have been producing some absolutely beautiful Polwarth yarn from the same flock of sheep.
I’m unsure of when I’ll plan my visit, but I know I will have a brilliant time. Now I just need the shock to wear off.
Little grey beans 