New year, new projects

In spite of the fact that I have some goals for the new year, I've fallen under the spell of a brand new project that necessitated the purchase of yarn (oops!). The sweater is from the book Homestead Classics by Martin Storey, which is chock full of great designs for men and women.

Who could resist this reindeer sweater? Not I.


I love the styling in this book. I think that's why I want to knit everything in it.






The reindeer sweater is the first fair isle project I've knitted flat, in pieces. I thought of converting it to be knit in the round, but most Rowan colorwork patterns are knitted flat, and a good deal of vintage fair isle is also knit in pieces, so I thought I'd give it a try. It's really not bad, and I can't say it's hugely slower than knitting in the round, for me. It helps to be able to knit with two hands to start with (i.e., holding the yarn in either left or right hand), and then I just had to figure out how to deal with the floats on the purl side. In less than a week, I finished a sleeve.


Instead of using RYC Baby Alpaca, I'm using Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light (does anyone else have to look up how to spell Berroco every time?). I love the feel of this wool/alpaca blend, it's so inexpensive, and I'm just impressed with it all around. The sleeve took a bit over one ball of the light gray, and about half a ball of the dark gray, which is really good, yardage-wise.

My favorite part is, of course, the reindeer (Rachel, they are reindeer, aren't they? :o).

Happy 2011!

Happy New Year! I hope you're as excited about the new year as I am.

Here is a look at my knitting for 2010:


This is the lazy gal's mosaic, a Ravelry screen grab, so you'll have to click on the photo if you want to see anything! Except for the Starbucks bear, which was knitted at Christmastime the year before, this is what was finished in 2010.

There are several projects I'm really happy with, such as Magnolia, the gray pullover on the bottom row. I wear this all the time, which is kind of a first for me because I don't usually wear any one of my sweaters a lot. I also get random compliments on it from people who don't know I made it, which is nice. The other one I'm happy with is the black Origami Pullover in the middle row. It's another simple knit that's easy to wear.

Like most knitters, my goal for 2011 is to knit more! I know to be successful this has to be quantified in some way, but that's the basic desire. And, like many knitters, my other goal is to knit from my stash. I've become very discerning about what knitting books I allow in any more, but not so about the yarn. Over the past year, I added four sweaters' worth of yarn to my stash, one skein of Malabrigo sock made it in, and some other single balls were gifted to me during the year. All beautiful things, now just waiting to be knit.

In addition to knitting goals, I also have other crafting goals in the form of finishing some quilt projects:

getting back to my drawing:


and doing more reading, sewing, and even reading about sewing:


Ah, the possibility of a new year!

Another year, another chance
To start our lives anew;
This time we’ll leap old barriers
To have a real breakthrough.

We’ll take one little step
And then we’ll take one more,
Our unlimited potential
We’ll totally explore.

We’ll show off all our talents
Everyone will be inspired;
(Whew! While I’m writing this,
I’m getting very tired.)

We’ll give up all bad habits;
We’ll read and learn a lot,
All our goals will be accomplished,
Sigh...or maybe not.

Oh well, Happy New Year anyway!

By Joanna Fuchs