Better late than never
Can’t believe the first three months have passed already! It feels like a perfect time to make a quick follow up on my #2018makenine pledge.
I’m feeling pretty good about this! I’ve decided to change Vintersol for Fern and Feather. I’m happy to say that this still very enjoyable and no stress at all.
Dear 2017, I will not miss you. You can shit in your hands and clap. Sorry, I know, language.
I learned a lot. About myself, about people around me, about my crafting. I don’t like to wear cardigans, for example. I’ve worn Blaster twice and Salal still have no buttons. I don’t like to wear thick, heavy sweaters. That puts Aiken on the shelf. I don’t like all stockinette positive ease sweaters – the Puntilla by Joji Locatelli I cast on in October 2016 has seen very little daylight this year. I don’t like socks. So what do I like? Close fitting, fingering weight, cropped sweaters like the Tongue Tied. Sweaters/blouses/tops with some interest on top, with shorter sleeves and stockinette bodies. Headpieces, 2017 delivered two, almost three(I have one tie left), turbans, three hats and one beret. One pair of fingerless gloves and one pair of colorwork mittens. My first colorwork! I still love lace, my first knitting love.
14 finished project in 2017 resulted in 5 gift knits, 4 garments for me, 4 headpieces for me, and the colorwork mittens were also for me. I’m glad that I finally decided that my hobby is for me, and I hope that 2018 will continue in this self-knitting spirit.
If I can dream, I would like to knit this in 2018:
Frenchy blouse/sweater by Amy Appel/Poisongrrls
Arboreal and Vintersol, colorwork sweaters by Jennifer Steingass/Knit.Love.Wool
Gudrun mittens by Maria Lärkäng/Asfaltsflickan
Chains of Love turban by Amy Appel/Poisongrrls
Dream a Little Dream sweater by Triona Murphy/Triona Designs
Mystery of Light colorwork cowl by Pia Kammeborn
(And I’d love to sew Agnes and Cleo from Tilly and the Buttons, too!)
Other goals:
Friends are expecting – so I’m hoping to knit a lot of baby clothes. So. Darn. Cute.
Try a vintage patterns – Just for fun. I have a pile dating from around 1930-1935.
Try cable knitting – Chains of Love will probably be the first, then Dream a Little Dream.
Journaling – in a way that fits me and I can keep up with.
Socks for my brother – because he asked me and I love him.
A yellow Princess Dress blanket – crocheted. Because my dearest friend loves Beauty/Belle and I love her.
The most important lesson 2017 smacked in my face is that I don’t have to be reasonable and practical about my knitting(or sewing). I can knit things just for fun. It hurts no one if I don’t wear or used that thing I knitted. It is not a waste of time, nor money. It was not for nothing. And. I. Don’t. Have. To. Finish. Things. IT’S OKAY to have things laying around for as long as it takes for me(and you!) to want to work on them again. I knit for ME. For MY enjoyment. Not to produce, not to deliver. I don’t have to force myself to knit on thing I don’t enjoy, just because I should finish something. I don’t have to keep myself from casting on things I want to knit, just because I should only have a few projects on the needles. “I should” can go fuck itself. I hope to take that more than anything with me into 2018.
I love notebooks. I own many of them. I’m terrible at using them and I want to change that. I have two notebooks that I love a little bit more, a bright yellow, penguin covered one, and a ridiculous unicorn one.
The penguin book is since long my sewing journal, with templates from the Fold Line. I really enjoy the planning template, but feel that I don’t use the project template enough. I’m thinking about scrapping the pages that are use now and start again, I will only lose about 10 pages or so, perhaps wing the projects pages in this book, with fabric samples and ideas, and buy a smaller book for the planning, like a index.
My unicorn book started as my diary, but will definitely turn into a knitting journal. I’m watching some old episodes of Inside Number 23 with the lovely Katie, and I really like her knitting-bujo-style. Yarn samples, notes and lovely handwriting. I’m looking forward to develop my own style.
I have some things I really want to do in October.
I’m not expecting to finish all of the above, but it is nice to have it written somewhere. It makes it easier for me to remember what I actually want to make and not jump on any train of thought that may come by.
Delayed Crafts 