Today’s blogging topic is to look back at your aims at the end of the last Knitting and Crochet Blog Week and see if you have achieved them, and then look forward to next year and write about what you hope to have achieved by then.
Obviously I’m *such* a good girl that I will have done exactly what I said last year. *cough*
Unfortunately last year I said this:
So what do I want to do by this time next year? My main aim (but please don’t judge me if I don’t manage it) is to try knitting socks.
Oh dear.
Well, if you’ve been a committed follower of my blog since then you’ve probably guessed that I haven’t managed this. In fact I’ve not got further than this:
Look, I tried! I cast on two pairs, but I’ve not finished a single sock from either of them.
The dark purple yarn loses alarming amounts of colour, which has put me off. After knitting just a few rounds I look like I’ve been working in a beetroot processing factory (if such a thing exists). Also the sock is quite small and inelastic because of the cables. The plan is to finish this sock and wash it to make sure it doesn’t shrink at all before I cast on the next one. But I plan to re-skein the remaining yarn and wash it before casting on the second sock.
The green sock is a variation on Milfoil by Rachel Coopey (if you’ve not come across her designs before, you should check them out because they really are amazing). You’re supposed to make two similar but non matching socks, but I really don’t think I can stand having non matching socks, so I’ve altered the pattern so that the socks will match (because I’m fussy like that). but the small needles and fiddly pattern means that I’ve not yet managed to get into a good knitting rhythm with these, so they’ve gone on the back burner for now. The yarn is such an amazing springy green though!
I’m still not really sold on the idea of knitting socks and hiding all that work on your feet, but I also think that there are some incredibly beautiful sock patterns available and I don’t want to miss out. So overall my feelings are still mixed, just like last year.
Do I get points for effort? Come on, I cast on two pairs…. please? *looks hopeful*
On Day 2 of last year’s Blog Week, I also planned to cast on a shawl with this yarn:
I was thinking about this:
But which pattern?
How about Lyrica Euterpe by Romi Hill? I like these sort of little shawls and wear them a lot as scarves, and this has an interesting construction, beginning with a semi-circle and then switching to a traditional central spine in the lace border. You can also add beads, although as the yarn is busy that might be a bit much!
But, predictably I haven’t cast it on. I still like the shawl though, but I’m undecided about the yarn.
So, overall a miserable failure. Hey ho. I can’t say I’m surprised. My knitting ambitions far outweigh the time I have to knit and it wasn’t as if I didn’t knit, I just knitted other things. Since this time last year, I’ve done several new designs (which I’m proud of) and seen them published in magazines, pattern leaflet and books, so I can’t complain. I still enjoy knitting, even though having your hobby as a career/job (hobby: knitting, day job: work in a yarn shop, self-employment: knitwear design) makes it difficult to switch off sometimes and manage your time effectively (self-employed people are their own worst bosses – you wouldn’t put up with having to work evenings, weekends and until 1am for anyone else, or expect someone else to do that for you, but I still expect that from myself).
What do I want to have done by next year? Well judging by last year, mentioning anything specific seems to doom it to failure, so I think I’ll just settle for trying to improve my work/knit/life balance….. hahahahaha!
Did you achieve your goals from last year?
Lottie x
Lottieknits 