Friday, January 1, 2016

I started a hashtag!!

I did it. I started a hashtag. It's my first one. It is #knitmywardrobe2016

I have quite an ambitious list of things I want to accomplish in 2016. Specifically in my knitting favorites list, so I made a list. It's probably more than I can actually do and it doesn't account for gifts or last minute mittens and hats for my kids.

So, in no particular order, here is the list:

Sweaters:
1.Strokkur - started 12/15 and using Cascade 220 in charcoal gray, and 2 colors that I don't know the name of, a heathered olive and a heathered rust.
2. Campside Cardi by Alicia Plummer - Madeline Tosh DK in the Earl Gray colorway.
3. Antrorse - Quince & Co. Osprey in Peacoat
4. Grace by Jane Richmond - in Madeline Tosh in Modern Fair Isle
5. Anna Vest by Karen Templer -Cascade 220 in Shire

Socks:
My goal is at least 4 pair, but I would love to do more. I have a Yarnbox Socks subscription each month that I would like to attempt to keep up with, but so far I haven't liked the yarn and pattern together for my first 2 months.
Other sock patterns I want to do this year:
1. Iced Gingerbread by Sarah Stevens
2. Farmhouse Flats by Hey Lady Hey
3. Dale by A Homespun House
4. Blueberry Waffle Socks
5. Baby Socks by Socks Street for my daughter.
I want to make a pair of socks for my son too.

Head:
1. Tallorcen by Lucy Hague for my husband out of stash Swans Island
2. Baa-ble Hat - started 12/15 and using many leftovers from stash.
3. Showcase Headband by

Neck:
1. Bradway Shawl
2. Honeycomb Cowl Resurrection by   for my son out of Kollage Happiness worsted
3. Trellis Shawl by Annie Rowdan for my daughter out of Quince & Co.    in Petal
4. Rivulet Shawl by Tin Can Knits

Other:
1. Press Pot Cozy
2. Rocky by Tin Can Knits
3. Kangaroo
4. Cozy Memories Sock Yarn Blanket (will be a WIP for a long time)


Outside of knitting, I want to do a lot there as well.
1. I want to dye yarn for fun and then for my Etsy shop.
2. Get a pygmy goat or 2 and a mini sheep.
3. Grow things more efficiently in our garden and increase the size. (That will mean that this year we will have roughly 1800 sq ft of garden space.
4. Do more canning for the winter.
5. Read more.

Catching up

Happy New Year Knitters!
It's been such a long time since my last post. I have a few partial posts that I will update and then make live soon. I know the things I'm working on are different since my last post.
Life on the farm is wonderful, although quite busy. Our daughter is now one year old and busy as ever. My knitting time is not as much as I'd like, with barn chores, 2 young kids, housework, and homeschooling, but it's such a wonderful and full life that I'm so happy to call mine.
With that, I do have several projects going, as always. I just finished 2 kids sweaters, one for each of my children. For my son, I made another Wonderful Wallaby Wallaby. I've made 3 or 4 over the years and they are a favorite. I have a few custom changes I did on this one, per my son's request. This is knit in a Donegal Tweed in navy, with beautiful flecks of light blue and red, it was purchased in Ireland by my Dad over the summer. The pouch is done in a contrasting light blue from Bonners Ferry, Idaho. My son wanted it to be a kangaroo sweater, so the pouch is closed on both sides and only open on top, then I added ears to the top. The pink inside the ear is Quince &Co.
Next, is the Bonjour Chicken sweater for my daughter. I used Cascade 220 superwash, in a gray called Space needle and a purple called Majestic, I believe. I chose little wooden buttons from Joann Fabrics.

I am also making a pair of sparkling socks using Susan B. Anderson's How I Make My Socks pattern. The yarn is Western Sky Knits Twinkle Socks in Stained Glass. I might be in love with this yarn and colorway! It's absolutely gorgeous! I'm finished with the 1st sock and almost halfway done with the second. I would like to complete them this weekend. I looked very forward to participating  in the Christmas Eve cast on with Little Bobbins Podcast. She does a KAL starting socks on Christmas Eve. I cast on, but ended up frogging them because the combination of yarn and pattern was a bad choice.
I have also started a sweater called Strokkur using Cascade 220 in charcoal gray and I'm wondering if my contrasting colors should be changed.

I have yarn set aside and wound for the Bradway shawl, but I haven't cast on yet. That will be done in some cream alpaca from a little farm in Michigan, in my hometown.
I just started the Baa ble hat in some leftover yarns, including Madeline Tosh vintage, malabrigo rios, Spud and Chloe, and Hikoo Simply worsted.
 
I am making my 2016 list of things I would like to knit. The next post will be a list of that with the yarn I'm going to use. Please join me in knitting some beautiful things and using the hashtag #knitmywardrobe2016. I will be tagging all of my projects with that this year. I am hoping to blog more regularly and show my WIPs more often.
 
Also in the works this year, I am reading some very interesting books about knitting and dyeing yarn. I hope to begin dyeing yarn for my shop very soon. I will do a separate post on the books.
Until next  time...
Happy New Year!