I'm Ba-ack!

Why hello there. Didn't think you'd ever hear from me again, did you.

Well 2009 was fairly eventful, though not necessarily in the knitting realm of things. I did finally get a new computer in the end of March, but a severe case of tendonitis struck shortly after in my right wrist, leaving me barely ablet o type on a computer, let alone write or knit. I finally was abel to get the pain under control again in August.

Of course, the months in between were not without news. Caleb broke his arm biking a week and a couple days before we were to leave on an exciting 2 week trip to Europe. Luckily he was able to have surgery immediately and once off his painkillers was in good enough shape to still make the trip. Though more low key than planned due to 2 unusable right arms, we still had a fantastic time exploring Dublin and London and visiting friends and familiar places in France and Germany. The trip was not without excitement as Caleb proposed while we were hiking on Howth Head, just north of Dublin.






Knitting did resume in August once the pain was back in control (my wrist was at points in so much paint that they feared I had fractured it or torn ligaments). The first projects I cast on was the Gail (aka Nightsongs) Shawl in Wollmeise Lace Garn (Gewitterhimmel colorway).






Of course I didn't start with something simple - I hadn't been able to knit for 5 months! I then finished some long marinating socks and knit my first pairs of mittens (yes there's an s. The first mitten turned out way too small, so I knit two more in the correct size, then knit the mate for the first one because I still had enough yarn left)





The Christmas season found the completion of another long marinating project - the Swallowtail Shawl I was knitting for my great aunt.

So that's a brief synopsis of what has happened since I last left you. But of course the beginning of each new year requires not only a look back at what has happened, but a look forward to what is to come.

2010 already has some big stuff planned, the biggest (knitting-wise) of which is the wedding knitting for my October wedding. I am planning on knitting my wedding veil (details are on Ravelry - I have a swatch listed. I don't want to post here in case Caleb goes looking, haha). I also have a few other projects planned. Bouquet wraps for me and my bridesmaids - like this:



Only better :o). Also, the ring bearer's pillow and some leaves perhaps as decoration.

The next big resolution is to "cold sheep" it. Though I'm not very good at self-restraint, so perhaps I'll do $20 for every 10 "balls" (50g) knit that some other people are doing. That way I can still get some things at the Knit In my knitting guild puts on or at the WI Sheep & Wool festival. Of course, all of this came about because I totaled my yarn up on Ravelry (and we moved, so I got to see it all in one place).


I have over 100k yards worth of yarn!! That is more that 50 miles (and I'm actually closer to 60 that 50)!! YIKES! It is a real eye-opener. Especially with the tendonitis when I shouldn't push so hard to knit a lot or fast. So I am going to try to knit only from stash this year and not buy too much, at least :o).

A final 2010 resolution was to restart my 101 in 1001 Challenge. I re-wrote a list (as I already had a few checked off the last one). I also re-worded many of the tasks so that nothing was "Do X once a week/month." If I wanted to do something weekly, I simply said "Do X 150 times" (the approximate number of weeks in 1001 days). This way I still have a chance to succeed even if I miss a week or 2. The new list can be found here. I hope to update over there somewhat weekly with accomplishments, photos, etc. One of the goals is of course to blog here more often as well, so you'll be hearing more from me!

That's about all the catch up I have for now. Hope you all are well and Happy New Year!

Computer Issues

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. My computer died a couple weeks ago and I haven't broken down to get a new one yet. I can do most things from my iphone, but posting to the blog just isn't convenient. The typing is awkward for long periods and I can't post pictures or anything like that. I'm hoping to get a new laptop soon, but I'm also super busy with travelling for work over the next couple of weeks.

So, sorry to be nonexistant, but it may have to last a few more weeks!

Warm Ewe Up weekly Question #4

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, so …

What are your plans for Valentine’s Day this year?

Well... we don't have any specific plans as of right now. And Caleb thinks he doesn't have to get me anything for Valentine's Day (or my birthday later this month) because he got me a pretty big gift for Christmas (a plane ticket to Europe). Which I kind of agree with, but I hope he still gets me a card at least! I got him a really good present though, and I can't wait to give it to him! He luckily has the weekend off, so we may try to go to a nice restaurant or just stay in and watch a movie. At least I'll get some good boyfriend time :o).

Crafting in 2009

Well, my computer is back in somewhat, if tenuous, working order. So now, more than 3 weeks into the new year, I bring you my knitting/crafting resolutions for 2009.

1. Finish or Frog all UFOs by the end of June
• I have so many UFOs hanging over me that I really need to set this deadline to clear the air and allow knitting to be fun again. I always have this nagging feeling whenever I think about all the UFOs I have sitting in my basket.

2. Knit more for myself!
• Of all the UFOs I have, only maybe one or two are for me. It's so bad that my knitting group has made it a running joke that nothing I knit is for myself. My hope was to make 2009 the "year of me," but that will have to wait until I finish the UFOs/promised projects for everyone else. Sigh.

3. Knit from Stash!
• I hope to eliminate either 15000 m or 100 skeins from the stash by the end of the year. I have a lot of pretty yarn that really needs to be used. I hope to avoid most purchases, but I won't guarantee all.

4. Update Ravelry and my blog once a week, even if there aren't pictures
• I've been slacking off (as you can see). I need to get more organized and keep better records.

5. Craft more
• I have become a collector of crafts, gathering supplies for ones I've rarely, if ever, done. I would like to craft more in general -- not just knitting!

Well those are my main resolutions, in addition to chipping away at my 101 in 1001 list that's in the sidebar (which I need to update). Hopefully I can stick with them, though it hasn't started out so well!

I'll post again soon (I hope!)

Happy New Year!

Well, 2009 is here. Can I have a do-over?

So far 2009 hasn't been the best. My computer completely died (along with a lot of the photos I wanted to show you). I did have the photos from the Autumn Coffee Swap on Flickr though! So without further ado (and only a month later, haha):




Thanks to Maria E. for a fantastic package! There was Starbucks coffee and cute little coasters, a yummy candy bar (which was gone later that day.. haha), cool sheep kleenex, and a bunch of yarn! It was great and all colors that are fun.

For the Winter Warm Ewe Up Swap, we were posited with the question of why we learned to knit. Here is my response:

The very first time I touched the needles was when I was 10. My dad and Grandma (Mom's mom) had been knitting, and I wanted to learn. I made it about 10 inches into a scarf before getting bored and giving up. Years later in my freshman year of college I was trying to figure out what to give my (then new) boyfriend for Christmas. He is the kind of guy who wants practical gifts, and I am the type who likes to give sentimental ones. So I was faced with the dilemma of trying to combine those seemingly opposing ideas. I realized though, that I could knit him a scarf! That would satisfy his want for a practical gift (a scarf is practical!), but also my need to make it have some sort of sentimental value (it's handmade by me!). I worked all Christmas break and gave it to him when I saw him next. He loved it! That began my interest. I knit a few dishcloths and potholders, but not too much. As I was studying in Europe my Junior year of college, I became bored on the long train rides to visit my boyfriend. We went to a store and found some yarn and needles, and I was able to knit him another scarf. When I came back to the US I went to my first LYS and picked up a pattern for an afghan which kept my interest long enough to get me back to Europe. I then discovered socks and the internet knitting community and the rest is history!

I'm going to do a separate post for my 2009 knitting resolutions, so that's all for now. Hopefully my boyfriend will continue to allow me to use his computer until I can figure something out with mine (or get a new one).

Happy 2009 everyone!