Here we are – one quarter of the way through 2014. Spring has sprung (we had snow on the ground yesterday, but who’s keeping track of that?!). March Madness is in full effect and my brackets are TOAST, so it’s just fun to see the upsets now.
It’s also time to check in on my crafty goals!
Here are the goals I set for myself in January:
Yarn Diet Goals & Boundaries:
- Knit only from stash for the first half of 2014.
- During the first half of 2014, move $40 into savings every time I’m tempted to go to my LYS or Etsy to buy yarn.
- After the first half of 2014, new yarn can be purchased, but only in yardage amounts equaling what I’ve already knit in 2014.
- Work projects that have been marinating in my queue before casting on ALL THE THINGS from a newly purchased/released book/pattern collection.
- Enjoy the process & the product!!
Because I’m an over-achiever, I have other goals, too!!2014 Crafty Goals:
- 20,000 yards of yarn worked this year.
I worked 19,000 in 2013 or just over 10 miles… I think this is doable!- Learn two-at-a-time sock technique.
- Learn toe-up two-at-a-time sock technique.
Yarn Diet Progress:
Other than the baby gifts that have popped up here & there, I have been successful in my attempt to only knit from stash so far this year. I don’t keep a lot of superwash on hand, and I never know what I’ll feel like knitting for any particular child, so keeping a stash of it doesn’t make sense right now.
I’ve been pretty good. I have only been seriously tempted to buy yarn a few times (and those temptation fees went to Halos of Hope, so that’s still a win in my book!). I did fall down twice. The first was on a colorway that was being discontinued (that I didn’t know existed) from KnitPicks & I bought the whole bag of lace weight. I’ll figure something out for that. The second was an enabled order when my friend Amy said, “I’m thinking of a custom order from Fab Funky Fibres – ya want anything?” which was too much to bear. I’m expecting a skein of self-striping in the Rainy Day Rainbow colorway any time now. Eeeeeee!!
I’m still going to my stash first, I’m working a lot of things out of that stash & I’m planning to cast on a few more things from my queue/stash during this first week of April. That mystery shawl has taken a lot longer to finish than anticipated & has sucked up a lot of my knitting mojo with it! But I’m still making progress.
My last yarn diet goal was to enjoy the process, which I think I am. I’m not focusing on finishing things, but knitting things that make me happy. When they stop making me happy, I’ll put them down for a while & when I’m ready to pick them back up, I do.
Overall, I give myself a B+ on my yarn diet.
Crafty Goals Progress:
If my goal of 20,000 yards will be achievable, 5,000 yards a quarter is a nice way to pace things. I really like using KnitMeter to track my progress – it’s a great tool! As of today, I’ve finished 4,465 yards of knitting. This isn’t including the first sock of my Blarney socks or the knitting in progress on my Follow Your Arrow Shawl & Antler Cardigan. With those things included, I’m confident I’m past the 5k mark & closer to the 6k point. I’m good with that!
I have knit a few pairs of socks two-at-a-time, so that goal has been accomplished! I like the technique because I know they are the same length & size in every aspect, which is great for the vanilla socks I so love. However, the super long circ & the two balls of yarn are somewhat fiddly, so this method isn’t as portable as I would like my socks to be. Maybe I can work to make it more manageable.
Overall, I give myself an A on my crafty goals. Woohoo!
Bonus Points: I published my first pattern on Ravelry! My Chevron Baby Sleep Sack has 70 favorites on Ravelry and almost 700 views on my blog. I’m amazed! I hope to see some project pictures from others using this pattern soon!
Side note: I also have a hat pattern that I am working on & hope to share in April as well.
2014 continues our love of making smoothies & starting the day with fruits, veggies & lean protein makes us keep doing it! It really does make me feel better than a lot of other breakfast options. We recently have upped the ante on our smoothie making & started using milk kefir instead of milk & yogurt. We make our own, right on the kitchen counter & I’m happy that I’ve finally learned to grow something on the kitchen counter that I can’t kill!
2014 has been a productive one so far (crafting-wise anyway)! This coming quarter will be a challenge as we are planning a local move & hoping to find a more calm place to live with a better commute for both of us. There will also be a family vacation in there as well – I have to plan my vacation knitting soon! If we have a veranda, there will be veranda knitting. Keep your fingers crossed!
Donita Westman 