Goals for 2012

It is nearly the end of January, but like many other knitting bloggers I still wanted to post some general knitting/crafting goals for 2012. I'm not sure if this is a smart idea, considering that I've not really met any of my previous New Year's crafting goals, LOL. Ah, but optimism springs eternal! My general goal for 2012 is to get organized, and this pertains to my crafting as well. 1. I need to update my stash on Ravelry (due to all that "yarn breeding" mentioned in a previous post I have a lot that is not cataloged), update my projects, and go over my queue. 2. I would like to do a cable project and a colorwork project. 3. Finally, my goal for this year is also to complete at least 6 knitting/crochet/sewing projects, including a garment for me. I am really hoping that this is the year I actually meet my goals, but if I don't there's always next year! It will make it even easier to post if all I have to do is just copy and paste my list. ;) Here is a photo of me and RJ at a wedding this winter. This really captures her essence, which is always in motion!

Let's Get Physical

I think I posted about this project back when I did it in 2009, but I never posted photos of little RJ in the full glory of her costume. Back in May of 2009, RJ's teacher sent home a list of necessary items for their spring show. This included a pair of legwarmers. I'm sure most of you have not tried to buy legwarmers for a toddler, but I can assure you they are not that easy to find. Of course, the knitter in me decided on the spot to make them. I used some pink TLC Cara Mia from my stash that someone gave me, and I managed to get them finished in time. Here is a close-up of them:

And here is a somewhat blurry photo of RJ during her performance. Yes, you guessed it; they were dancing to "Let's Get Physical" by Olivia Newton-John. I don't even want to discuss the odd nature of the song choice for two-year-olds, but I will say they did all look very cute. The biggest issue was that the song seemed to go on forever (why wouldn't you just use a shorter version for kids this young?) and the show was scheduled right in the middle of the usual school naptime, so they all looked tired. RJ was a real trouper though, and did a great job!

Breeding Habits of Yarn

I still have a little less than a week until the spring semester starts and I must admit I haven't exactly been slaving away. Last semester was such an incredible amount of stress and work (all of which ended well, but it was still SO MUCH work). Then just as things were finally winding down my parents arrived, eager to tackle a bunch of projects around our house. They love to help us out when they visit once a year and she and my dad are two incredibly talented, handy people. It did, however, feel like I went right from school, to the holidays, to working around the house with no break. The past week I finally had a chance to decompress, and this has led to an odd phenomenon. My yarn appears to be breeding. If you were to check on the stash once a day, you would notice that it is expanding at an alarming rate. I'm not sure what's going on, but disappointingly the yarns that are breeding fastest are the cheap ones. Any suggestions on how to get some silk, cashmere, and other luxury yarns to breed? I would really love to make a silk shawl or some cashmere fingerless mitts......

Girly Things

I finally finished the Anouk I started for RJ ages ago. I fear that it is now a bit too small for her, but I have a second chance with Iva so no harm done. I need to find some leggings to go under it, but with spring coming up a matching color should crop up somewhere. My girl has also gotten pretty picky, and didn't seem that excited about it. I blame grandma, who has taken to knitting with sparkly purple and pink yarn. It's hard to compete with that! I used some standard kitchen cotton (Sugar 'N Cream) and made the 12 month size for width and the 18 month size for length. RJ is nearly 4 years old, so the fact that it is a bit short is not surprising. ;) Details on my Ravelry project are here. I still love this pattern, although the kitchen cotton was hard on the hands when making a larger garment. The smaller version I made using the same type of yarn didn't bother me nearly so much.

RJ keeps asking me to knit things for her, but given the luke warm reception of this dress, I am not too inspired. She did ask for a sparkly purple scarf, so I am (gasp!) buying fun fur (Bernat Disco, if you can believe it) from someone on Ravelry to make her that. If she ever wants evidence that I truly do love her, I can just tell her how I knit with fun fur for her and that should prove it!

Still Here!

You know how sometimes you think things are going along just fine and then all the sudden everything goes haywire in unexpected ways and you are overwhelmed. This was NOT one of those times. These past few months were overwhelming, but in a completely predictable way. The hubby was in his last semester of his MBA program and was in class two nights a week, plus was meeting with his group or doing class-related activities several other times a week. I submitted my tenure portfolio in October. I am also aggressively applying for funding for my research and trying to get my graduate students to progress. Add in the two active children and it makes for one very quiet blog. I hope to change that this semester, which looks to be a lot less crazy. Oh, and I have been knitting and crafting, so there is actual content to blog about! For now I will post some pics of the girls to show how they've grown. Here is Iva who is already a year old!

Here is lovely older sister RJ, toasting the new year with Daddy and some sparkling apple juice: