Discover Your Inner Knitter with Doris: December 2017

Thursday, December 28, 2017

New Years Resolutions; knitwise

As the year is winding down and we are about to ring in 2018, most of us reflect on what the past twelve months have brought and make a list of which changes we want to work towards not only in our communities and work environments, but also on a more personal level in our daily routines and in ourselves.
Many New Years Resolutions contain a list of how we want to better ourselves...take better care of ourselves,

build stronger bodies with more exercise and a healthier diet,
be more kind to others and less selfish,
be less tardy and more on time,
focus more and be less distracted and so on...

Being a practical person I wonder how I can bring about these changes in a very hands-on way.
I focus on knitting which in itself is a very tactile activity and decide to

not sit too much, but knit the next 10 rows only after having taken a walk and keep my hands too busy to reach out for snacks.
knit more for others , especially charity
pace myself to have a project finished in the time I decided on even if I make myself work just 1/2 hour a day on a project which turned out to no longer be fun.
the act of knitting helps greatly with brain function and focus....

These are just a few general thoughts incorporating knitting into my New Years Resolutions.

I also want to share my list of projects I want to see finished in 2018

Here is my queue on ravelry and a list of projects I am about to start more or less in the order I decided on. Of course there are always additional projects: Socks (I always have a pair of socks on my needles), gifts (still have to decide on what when and for whom).

My queue on ravelry

Trestle sweater

a skirt (I already have one of these and love to wear it)

I made this sweater before and could work the pattern in the linen

I am not sure if I will make the Ello Vest or something else in this yarn

I got this for a KAL. I like the oversized cardigan and the designer.

For Tony's next pair of socks.

Last, but not least a call out to all of you:

What kind of class would you like to see offered this Winter/ Spring ?

Is there a new technique you want to learn?

Do you want to tackle a larger project?

Let me know ; I always welcome your feedback.

!HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thursday, December 7, 2017

LAST MINUTE Holiday knitting

No pressure,

but the first day of Hanukah is less than one week away and Christmas just over two weeks.

If you want to give that special hand-knitted gift, here are some guidelines. ideas and patterns which you may want to consider.
If you don't mind giving someone an unfinished project with the promise to finish it, then all doors are open. But if you want the gift to be finished with all yarn ends woven in and wrapped with a pretty bow on top, then consider this:
The key is, to look at the yardage used for the pattern and then decide if you have enough time to knit it up.
For example, if you are planning on knitting a hat for someone and you love that pretty fingering weight yarn, bear in mind that you need approximately 400 yards of yarn to finish the hat and this may take some time. But if you choose heavier yarn it only takes less than 100 yards to knit up a hat and you can get it done in time if not even on your way to the holiday party!