Whoop!!

I've just finished knitting my 29th ball, which means I'm over quarter of the way to the 100 ball knit down challenge. However, the downside to this excitement is the fact that I've bought yarn nearing 50 balls. I'm taking one step forward and two back with this challenge thing.

So I need an incentive. I'm not buying anymore yarn. If I manage to stave off the yarn buying bug I can go to the spinning class that we're hoping to organise with the SnB ones. If I buy yarn then I can't go, simple.

Ideally, I'd love to have knitted 100 balls AND the new yarn too by New Years Eve. One can hope :)

Happy New Year!

I know I'm a day or 5 late, but I took myself off to Donegal for the New Year with some knitting friends, and knitted.

I was slightly deluded as to what I could actually accomplish up there (I brought stuff to knit a jumper, shawl, socks and finish a baby cardigan) Needless to say, those 4 items were not completed. I did cast on the shawl and knit through 100g of Sirdar Blur which helps with the 100 ball knitdown challenge (there's a list on the side so I can keep track of what I've used) Unfortunately, the shawl wasn't necessary, at the top of the list or urgent. It was a distraction, a procrastination tool. I didn't want to seam the cardigan and I didn't want to do 14 inches of 2x2 rib over 230+ stitches.

I'll get the cardigan finished this week, same goes for the shawl (hopefully) The socks will be cast on and so will the jumper.... a few evil rows at a time, but it'll get done.

As for mysock club, I'm not starting that until the Trekking socks are done. So I suppose these socks are unofficially the first of the year (although they kicked my butt last year and should have been done then)

Off to get cracking on this shawl then!

New Year's Resolutions!

I know its a tad early for the resolution business, but I'm going to throw these ideas that Nicky and I came up with out into the ether.

Socks
We're going to do our own sock club, and some of the patterns will be coming from the Simply Knitting calander that came with an issue a couple of months ago... since all I can do is plain socks, this is going to be a challenge. I'm asking my mum to bring home lunch bags from Washington next week - if I can see the yarn, I'll not want to knit it so its best to hide these things, lol.

Stash
We're also going to try the Stash Knit Down 2009 ravelry groups "Knit 100 balls in 2009" challenge. I know I have more than enough stash to keep me going to for a while and I'm going to not buy any yarn. However, there is a clause here. Nicky and I are hoping to go to Toronto at some stage, so it is my plan to not buy yarn until I go, I can buy when I'm there and then when I get back, its no yarn again. Unless I need a ball or two to finish a project, thats allowed.

Our challenges/knitalongs!
To make 2009 slightly interesting, Nicky and I came up with a list of 13 challenges/knitalongs for us to do over the year. One challenge starts whenever the last one ends, so it could take 18 months but on the other hand it could take 9 months!

So we have, in no particular order:

1. fairisle and steaking in the one project, we're nothing if not crazy, lol.
2. the pi shawl
3. crocheted starghan (I can't crochet so should be interesting for me)
4. baby suprise jacket
5. Dream swatch headwrap
6. Clapotis
7. Endpaper mittens
8. Hoodie time! We both have hoodies we want to knit, just different ones
9. Emerald cardigan
10. More cardigans!!! (it gets cold here you know, lol)
11. Gift challenge - knit gifts for birthdays/Christmas
12. WIP finishing marathon
13. Pinwheel blanket

So there we have it, the 2009 crazy train!

If we add all the yarn from the 13 knitalongs AND the socks then I think I'm well over the 100 ball mark and therefore have succeeded in knitting down the stash in 2009, knitted some pretty nifty things AND learnt some new knitting skills as well as how to crochet! Win/win I'd say.

Current WIP's
I have a few wip's on the go now that are starting to take over my life, lol. I have 2 different socks on the go, trying to knit a Christmas present and have a birthday present to start. Then, once those are done, I've a few things to knit for the ones I work with (which they demanded I should add) Although the socks aren't desperately needed by a deadline, they see m to be the only thing I want to knit. I think I need to hide them until Christmas is over, or at least until I get everything else knitted!