# Happy New Year!



## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Happy New Year!

So, what's your fibery resolutions for next year? Finish the second sock? Spin three ply fingering yarn? Learn to weave? Encourage (enable) new fibery folks?

A hui hou!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I don't really do resolutions, they just seem like I'm setting myself up for failure. I personally want to, need to make a point of spinning at least an hour every day for my own health and happiness. I suppose making that reality will entail making it into a habit and sticking to it, managing my time better too.


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

Edited to add: I don't really do "New Year's Resolutions" but I thought it might be fun to set a couple of *fiber/knitting* New Year's resolutions 

and that is to 

a) knit myself a really FUN and colorful Christmas scarf (I have scarves but none are Christmasey)
b) knit myself some really FUN and colorful Christmas socks (I have been wearing the bright red ones you knit for me, Gone-a-milkin', until people think they are the only pair I own) but I am happy to announce that this project is quite near completetion! :dance:
c) finish spinning up all that Shetland and start knitting that dadgum sweater I have been putting off
d) knit a Lopi sweater for myself
e) knit myself and the Cabin man some more felted house slippers/duffers
f) knit more mittens and hats for grandbabies and neighbors
g) spin and knit myself a nice warm pair of luxurious gloves or mittens to match my coat
h) knit my sweetheart a really nice dressy scarf
i) knit myself a really nice dressy scarf


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

I just love New Year's Day, resolutions included, even if I sometimes fail. 

1. Resolve to make sure I am drinking enough water. I have some health issues and am supposed to drink 12-13 glasses a day. Sometimes it's hard to remember to drink that much. 

2. Spend regular time with my spinning wheel (once I get it lol!) 

3. Go through the things in my storage locker and have a yard sale.

4. Have a bit more fun. Get out of the house a wee bit more - like to the monthly handcrafter's meeting. 

5. Go for more walks.


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## lambs.are.cute (Aug 15, 2010)

1) finish knitting my first sweater. ( it was cables but I finished my first cables last week!)
2) make myself a nice pair of mittens.
3) hand shear at least one of my new woollies and have her survive the event.
4) make it to more spinning meetings.
And last but not least! 5) greet the new year by sleeping!


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Oh! Oh! Oh! I gotta ad one more. I heard there is a fiber festival in Lake Elmo. Or somewhere. I wanna go to one and see how many bags of fleece I can stuff in the back of a Dodge Caliber. Like of like finding out how many clowns will fit in a VW. 

Ok...maybe not so many as that... but for sure one or two....


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## fransean (Dec 21, 2002)

I resolve to make a connection with the local book store, that does consignment arts and crafts, during January in order to start selling.

There! I put it out there for all to see, now I have to follow up


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## Lythrum (Dec 19, 2005)

Happy New Year everyone! Last year I made a very extensive to-do list of stuff I wanted to get done during the year. It read something like this: knit these things, read these books, watch these movies, cook these things, go these places. I actually did get quite a few things done on it that I wouldn't normally have gotten to, but I found that I didn't really like the way that I felt while I was doing them. More like just checking things off of a list rather than really enjoy doing them. So I have a new plan for myself this year. 

I have been constructing a set of challenge themes, basically where I am pairing up an unread book that I have with a knitting project, with a movie to watch, a song to learn on my guitar and something to cook. That way I am experiencing a theme in multi-media. I actually have quite a few of them in the rough stages of planning, and when I finish one I will pick the next to do, rather than have them in any planned order. The first has been kind of pre-picked for me since I am in the middle of a Harry Potter sock knitting frenzy, it is the Wizard's Challenge:



Read the Harry Potter series
Knit Hermione's Everyday Socks for myself - Done
Knit The Weasley Homestead Socks as a gift for my FIL
Knit Petunia Dursley's Double Eyelet Socks as a gift for my aunt who is lucky that I caved to her continual hints for a knit item (there is really no planned relationship with Petunia Dursley, really. She is an aunt and this is for my aunt. It is just a coincidence, I am implying nothing about her. :happy2
Cook a meal from the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook
Learn how to play These Endearing Young Charms - it's a stretch, but coming up with a song to go with it wasn't easy for me. And they do study Charms, along with Arithromancy, Transfiguration, etc. 
Watch the Harry Potter movies
So that's my plan anyway, I'm hoping to do more than just knit this year, which is what I seem to have spent most of last year on. And the main goal is to actually do a lot of reading, which I have slacked off on. I have tons of unread books that need to go in the read pile. 



Oh, and the overall I WILL GET THIS DONE THIS YEAR is my barn raising quilt. It needs to be finished and stop clogging up my knitting queue.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Maybe that's my problem :smack. My resolutions are too serious for me. You all have fun resolutions. I'll have to think on this now


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## Lythrum (Dec 19, 2005)

I know that I have some resolutions that are more serious - need to exercise, lose weight, get the house organized, etc. But when I try to do them as resolutions I always fail. Usually I get too hung up on doing something everyday, then something happens and disrupts it, and I feel like I failed so I don't bother to continue. You could try building in a number of free passes, like 20 or some other number. So if you really doing feel like doing something on a certain day you can pass. Til you can't pass anymore that is.  

Or you can find a roundabout way of getting to your end goal that isn't specific to that goal. Like for me, losing weight is a perennial attendee on my New Years resolutions. But this year I am instead trying to stop buying processed/fast food and do all cooking at home. I'm pretty sure that the side effect of this would be to drop some pounds, but I'm not specifically focusing on weight. Before I would always tend to go overboard - I'm going to train for a marathon this year!!!! Now I'm more like...I'm going to try to take a walk everyday.  

I put some carrots into my goals too...to do my challenge themes I will have to flesh out the things I have with some things I don't, so I'm not totally going off the grid of buying things. Just cutting down on it a lot. I'm thinking that the items I make will be more special being tied to something bigger, like when you have a pair of socks that were knitted during a KAL, or TDF or something. I'll see anyway.


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## raccoon breath (Aug 5, 2010)

My resolution, just one but it's a big one with 2 parts. 

I've been collecting old angora patterns, like Angoras By Beehive and others, for a few years. I have a great yarn I make to use with these patterns, but I want to make yarn exactly like Fuzzy Wuzzy, the yarn called for in the patterns and begin making the patterns. I have a lot of those old patterns and they are so beautiful. So part one, make Fuzzy Wuzzy. Part two, knit a pattern.

I just emailed a friend of mine who is obsessed with this yarn and she'll be mailing me a yarn scrap sample so when i spin it, I can get it perfect.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

If you want to get crazy amounts of inspiration, Missy, go to Google images and type in "bohus stickning". Some day I'd like to make one of those sweaters! Looks awfully complicated, though. Maybe the just bohus colorwork collar on a cardigan?

Do I have a fibery resolution yet? Maybe continue spinning the yarn for the bohus sweater/cardigan. So far I have one ball of 100% English angora in fingering weight that was dyed a lovely light blue with wild indigo. So, that's one color for the collar, but pure angora won't work for a sweater since it wouldn't cling. Maybe a cardigan that drapes? Then it could be pure angora? Well, that may not be this year's resolution.

Well, for this year, I think my fibery resolutions should be to KNIT SOMETHING FOR MYSELF. Not to seem greedy or anything, but my toes are cold!

I'd also like to grow some Sea Island white cotton if any body knows of a seed source. Might grow some silk worms, too.

So far most of these resolutions are pretty much "maybes" aren't they? Oh wellos, no need for pressure or anything, I guess.


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## Lythrum (Dec 19, 2005)

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange had Sea Island White last year. This year they only have Sea Island Brown. They are actually down quite a few varieties this year, I'm not sure if it was a bad cotton growing season or what.


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## fransean (Dec 21, 2002)

Oh, dear......maybe I should have a resolution about not having more than 200 patterns saved on Ravelry :facepalm:
I have gone a little crazy! My work is going to be getting really busy starting on Monday. Knowing I won't have time to search out new patterns but I might have small amounts of time to create I have been searching this past week.


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## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

Last year, I had a goal to knit at least 12 pairs of socks. Well, I did! I knit:
The bunad socks, Hermione's Everyday Socks, some Tardis Socks, the KAL socks, Monkey socks, four pairs of regular old-fashioned socks, Scylla Socks, Hermione Socks again, and some boot socks. I think I'm going to try to do that again this year. I like knitting socks.


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## raccoon breath (Aug 5, 2010)

Hotzcats - BEAUTIFUL!! Wow. Looking a that, my project isn't that hard at all. Actually, mine really isn't. I blended the wool and angora (perfectly weighed) It's a 4 ply fingering yarn that needs to be 7 1/2 stitches per inch. I checked this afternoon and was at 8 stitches. Not bad for a first try! :grin: Its been fun and is turning out pretty. Soo funny..I was digging through my cotton seeds yesterday dreaming of growing some just yesterday. I get my silkworm eggs from coastalsilkworms.com.

Fransean - only 200??:facepalm:


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Are there any Sea Island cotton seeds in your collection? Inquiring minds want to know? 

I did get some of Southern Exposure's Sea Island White seeds last year, Lythrum, and planted four of them. They got huge and made cotton but I had to dig them up since they took up most of my vegetable garden. There was quite a bit of diversity between the four plants and none of them had staple lengths of over 1". I was hoping for almost 2". Nice and soft almost shiny, but not quite what I was hoping for. Ordered a different batch of seeds from Tropilabs, http://www.tropilab.com/gossyp-bar.html so we will see how these do this year. Guess that can be a "fibery resolution".

How did your silkworms do? Did you get silk? Would growing silk be a worthwhile resolution for this year? There's a fellow in Hilo who will give me some if I want them. I think he said they were "bombyx" and they can't fly.

Good job on your 4 ply fingering wool/angora yarn. Should my this year's resolution be to spin as good as Missy? I never get that thin for very long before finding some reason to go for chunky.

Which will be your next socks, SvenskaFlicka? Maybe from one of Fransean's saved patterns? (If someone else knits from your saved patterns, do you get any brownie points?)


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## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

Right now, I am knitting these socks for my cousin: Harvest Dew in this yarn: Viking of Norway Nordlys, in the color "Berry Smoothie". The Hermione socks I knit lately where in the same yarn. 

I'm also one sock through this pattern: Porthos in the same Nordlys yarn in the color "Harvest Festival" for my Grandpa. Both are supposed to be Christmas presents... :teehee:

I'll post pictures when they are done. Or maybe I'll start my own thread just with my socks, so I don't feel so much like I'm taking up a thread, lol!


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## raccoon breath (Aug 5, 2010)

Hotzcatz - Don't have those but am going to check them out. I have Upland Cotton, Egyptian Fine, and Pima Long. 

Some silkworms did fine and others, most of them, died when I forgot about them. Yes, I did get silk and have a bag of it I still need to process. I saw a video on Youtube quite a while back that covers how to clean it, then put it on a picture frame to make the hankie. It was really neat. From the point they hatch, they are making silk like you see tiny spiders do. Bombyx is what I have hatching right now. 

I have to step away from spinning often to go that thin. I'll start spinning thick and chunky just to fill the bobbin and be done. This is a quest though so I must step away and return later. My hand are painful today so took a break. I'm really more determined than skilled. My skill level is kinda average with above average skills in other ways that make me look good. I'm average but determined.


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## canadiangirl (Jul 25, 2004)

I don't have resolutions as much as goals and it makes me excited. Of course I love structure, I'll tell you all about how much I love structure in a bit, lol. My fibery goals are to learn to do a toe up pair of socks, learn to knit socks 2 at a time, learn to spin, and to start my spinners flock if I enjoy spinning. So do you want to see what all kinds of crazy looks like for resolutions? I plan everything- right down to what hobbies I do in what months. Then I don't have projects everywhere. This year, January is a spinning month, so any hobby time is devoted to that and all else is put away, portable knitting excepted for when I'm away from home. February is scrapbooking, March is knitting month, so I'll take on a big project. I have painting months and sewing, but mostly knitting and spinning. There is a binder with a page for each month in my office and a master list for the year. I put the pages in plastic sleeves. The beginning of the month I decide on all personal, business & hobby goals for the month (relating it to my year list) and each week I do another page that is more of a to-do list so I accomplish those goals. I carry the weekly list in my pocket everywhere I go and use the back of the page to write down random ideas etc for next month. I think it's probably a little crazy, but it does keep me moving forward.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

That's way more organized than I'll ever be, CanadianGirl! I just kinda look around and see which was the project I left laying out and pick it up. Or look at the weather and then choose. Today was shearing a bunny because she had gotten wet and was a grumpy bunny. She's happy and dry and I have seven and a half ounces of fiber to spin. Yay! I'd never have put "shear the grumpy bunny" on a to-do list since I wouldn't know when one of the silly things would sit in the rain.

Determined is more important than skill, Missy. At least, IMHO. You can move a hillside with a shovel if you've got enough determination. (And hopefully it's a small hill without too many rocks) Maybe to keep your quest thin and fingering-like, you could spin several different fibers. Some sort of art yarn for when you got tired of skinny yarn? Are you going to plant cotton this year, too?

You've got a lucky cousin, SvenskaFlicka! That "berrie smoothie" is a great color of yarn. I did go out and buy some sock yarn last week. That's been it for the sock project. They didn't have metal DPNs, what's with that? How can I knit socks on bamboo needles? My DH would "borrow" them to skewer shish-ka-bobs.


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## raccoon breath (Aug 5, 2010)

Oh yes! I'm going to plant a couple of each kind of cotton seed I have. We have a short growing season here. There's cotton growing all over Arizona except here. We can frost as late as the first week of June (and usually do) and then frost as early as late Sept so I'll be using a greenhouse and crossing my fingers.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

I was chatting with the fellow who I gave the cotton plants to at quilting today and he suggested taking a cutting off the plant with the best fiber. I hadn't thought of that so it will be easier to get more of the good cotton. Of the four plants, one is better than the other three. If I take cuttings from that and let it pollinate itself, perhaps there will be superior cotton from those seeds?

Last several seasons were my first at cotton so I don't know much about it. We would grow it as a perennial around here. Do the fibers get coarser over time even if they are from the same plant?


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

I had only briefly thought about growing cotton. Might want to try it. My fibery goals are to shear the alpaca and sheep without them looking like they ran into a buzz saw. Knit more. Complete three quilts. Spend less time reading and planning a fibery task, and making one happen. I have a goal every year to go to the fiber festival in Bourne. Haven't made it yet. Maybe this will be the year.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Oooh! Going To A Fiber Festival! That's a great goal.

Are they big quilts? That will take more than a year, won't it?

I dunno if it really matters what the critters look like after the fiber is off of them, does it? Some how dog groomers manage to leave the critters looking nice, but so far I haven't convinced any of them to help shear fiber critters.


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## raccoon breath (Aug 5, 2010)

Buzz saw..ha ha!! I'm finally pretty good at shearing the goats and sheep, but last year was my first time shearing alpacas. The two last ones I sheared didn't look so terrible after I learned where all the bumbs and dips are. The first ones were so bad that people driving by would stop and stare at them. lol


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Pictures? No nubbly alpaca pictures?

This is what the local alpaca herd looks like on shearing day:










They import a fellow from Oahu who comes over to shear their 'paca.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Oh.... oh.... my.... :hysterical: the head on the one in the back... it looks so funny!!!!!!!


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

It looks like an alien!!!! 

I am going to pee my pants......


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