This blog is brought to you by the letter F

Finishing. There are many levels of finishing when it comes to knitting.

Some class a project as finished as soon as the knitting part is done. Some believe finishing occurs once the ends have been woven it while others go as far as washing and blocking their piece before they declare their work finished.

Me? I'm in the weaving in the ends camp.  However, I'm getting rather lax about even going that far.

This little pile contains all the "finishing" I need to do, and most of it is quite simple and straightforward.- ends, seaming and a pompom or two. Instead of just getting on with it, I threw the lot in a bag and pretended it didn't exist...except that I keep tripping over it!.

This week's goal is to bring a handful to knitting tomorrow and weave in those ends!  Hopefully next week I'll be regaling you with a series of FOs instead of nearly-but-not-quite finished objects.

Ta da!!!

I've another WIP ticked off the list! My fetchings are done and dusted. Just a baby cardigan to do (once I rip out one side) and the donegal blanket. I think I'll frog the rose tyler arm warmers though, too fiddley for me at the minute.

I got the parents foot measurements, so maybe one of the many pairs of socks will be for them this year - the mother's birthday is in April so I might try and get a pair for her.... not handwash socks though (she felted my brothers pair earlier in the year)

So... pic of the fetchings. My camera is crap so you've been warned!

I skipped a cable repeat and the picot edging, but I like them!

By the end of the year

I have decided that I would love to start 2009 with no Wip's, none at all. So between now and midnight on New Year's eve, I want to finish:

1. Siobhan's regia socks. The first is done and the second was cast on last night. Hopefully be done by the end of the week.

2. My Russian sock. Sock one is done but no sign of two being started yet.

3. Donegal blanket being sewn up ready to learn the crocheting thing for the boarder

4. Fetchings finished. I've most of the first done but have to do the thumb and the entire second mitt.

Am I mad? Yes. Am I slightly ambitious in thinking that this will all be done? Again, yes.

I'll give it a good shot though!

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!