Friday, January 13, 2012

On Success and Failure

My first update on my 2012 knitting New Year's resolution!  Overall, I give myself a grade of C :(

On the bright side, I have started using up some of my leftovers from other projects.  I made this great Spiral Twist hat using left over gray yarn from a scarf and odds and ends of Noro. 

My husband and I regularly take Sunday walks in a nearby park, and I made this hat with those walks in mind.  This hat is my first time doing stranded work - I'm happy with the color combination of gray with the striping Noro yarn.  I wish I had thought a little bit more about how the colors would line up on the hat.  I would have put the yellow and orange/coral color down by the base of the hat.  Still, it's a nice warm hat for the cold weather season :)

I might have been successful at starting my stashbusting, but I failed on limiting my yarn buying. 

It's only January 13th, and I've already bought new yarn:(  I can't even say it was an impulse purchase, because I drove directly to the store with the intent to buying new yarn.  But, in my defense, it was a great bargain.  I bought this pound bag of 100% cotton yarn (factory mill ends - whatever that is) that is a perfect match for some variagated bamboo that I have left over from another project.  This bag of yarn was $6.99 at AC Moore and I had a 50% off coupon!!  So, I bought a pound of yarn for $3.49!

I plan to use this cotton yarn and the variagated bamboo to make a chevron pullover similar to the one that is on the cover of Knitting Noro.  Although I have no idea how much yardage is in my one pound bag of cotton, I'm sure it will be enough to make a pullover. 

Okay, one more confession - I did buy some additional new yarn.  But I do have a project in mind for it and it was on sale :)

How are you doing with your New Year's resolutions?  What are your plans for new knitting projects?

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Looking Back and Going Forward

Well, my New Year's post has been a bit delayed due to my post-holiday cold:(  But inspired by a number of fashion blogs, I thought I'd post my favorite projects/knitting patterns of 2011 and my plans/resolutions for 2012.

First, a look back at some of my favorite projects from 2011:

1.  Sleeveless Sweater with Circular Yoke
I love this sweater.  I've made two of them, one in 2010 and another in the spring of 2011.  Instead of the fairisle design in the pattern at the neck, I followed in others' footsteps and used Noro yarn to get these changing stripes at the neckline.  I wear both of these sweaters a lot and find this purple version works really well with my wardrobe (and I get a lot of compliments on it).  The short sleeves allow me to wear it for three seasons and a light merino yarn for the body makes it very comfortable.

2.  Fingerless Mitts

I've gone on about fingerless mitts before in this blog, but I have really used and enjoyed the pairs I've made.  I love the ease at which I can get things out of my purse, find my keys, etc while still wearing these mitts.  Before, I was always pulling off then putting back on my gloves.  Ugh.  Fingerless gloves have changed my life (well, not really - but I love them anyway).

The web is filled with great patterns for mitts using all types and weights of yarn.  These are my design.  I love how the color changes in the lace pattern and they are a great match for my winter coat.

3.  Drops Yoke Cardigan

I made this cardigan for my mother-in-law this year for Christmas.  It was my first time trying one of the free Drops patterns, and I love how it came out.  I love the cheerful cherry red color.  And I love the design of the yoke.  This pattern was pretty easy but seemed to take a long time to knit (not sure why).  I haven't seen my mother-in-law in it yet, but I hope she likes it.

Drops has a similar pattern with a different yoke that has been in my project queue for a while, but more about that further down.

Then, a few honorable mentions:

4.  Kashima Cardigan

I wear this sweater A LOT.  I love having a sweater that I can just throw on and go - and this has become that sweater.  I think the burgundy color makes it very versatile and this merino dk makes it warm enough to wear on a 50 degree day, but light enough to wear on hotter days too.

This sweater would have ranked higher on my list, but I don't think this waterfall style of sweater does my figure any favors.  The extra folds of fabric in the front seem to add bulk right where I don't need it :)  I made some modifications to the original paatern to make the front pieces shorter and not so long.  I think this helped and I love this sweater (though not this photo).

5.  Winter Leaves Lace Scarf

I just finished this scarf and it was just what I was looking for!  The pattern is pretty easy and I love the circular design of the lace.  I extended the lace pattern for longer than in the pattern for more of an all-over lace look.  I used a Debbie Stoller Stitch Nation yarn, so the project wasn't that expensive.  I wear this with a lot of my cardigans just to keep the chill off my neck.  Love it!!

And now, onward to 2012! 

I must admit, I don't have a large stash of yarn.  I try (and try) not to buy any yarn unless I have a specific project planned for it.  With that in mind, here are my resoluntions for 2012:

1.  Use up the yarn I have before buying any new yarn.  I have made two larger yarn purchases for particular projects that I have not started yet.  I will not buy any new yarn until I have completed these projects!!

2.  Love my less-favored yarn.  Although I do't usually buy yarn without a purpose, I have (I must admit) made some impluse purchases that I have either fell out of love with or just ignored.  I will find projects for this yarn, perhaps use it to make things for charitable drives.  In the past, I have donated some things to Comfort Scarves in Pittsburgh (and there are many other groups collecting knitted goods).  So I will work through my stash and make things for others in need :)

3.  Find a use for my little leftovers.  I assume everyone has that little half ball of yarn leftover from their projects.  I now have about a bin and a half of these "little balls".  I pledge to find smaller projects where I can use up these little balls.  I have an idea for a design that will use up a variety of yarns and colors and I'm excited to see my stash start to shrink!!

I can also use these leftovers for striped scarves, hats, and mitts for donatons to Comfort Scarves.

Other things:  These are not really resolutions, but in the spirit of new plans - in 2012, I would also like to try intarsia colorwork and learn how to crochet! 

Wish me luck!!  What are your favorite projects from 2011?  And what are your plans for 2012??