Happy 2008, Year of Knitting Fearlessly!

Happy New Year to one and all, hope everyone had a reasonable Christmas. I'd planned to have a bit of a new Year's resolution thingie this post and then I'd read about the "Year of Knitting Fearlessly" and it all seemed to slot into place....Not like I've planned it down to the last detail, (I'm SO not like that!), but I'm formulating plans...

So far the fearless bit is actually quite true, I'm aiming to tackle stuff that I've avoided for a while...because I've been afraid of making a muck of it.

Hence my targets so far are:
1) Fair isle with STEEKS
2) Designing and creating from scratch at least 1 sweater every 3 months
3) Working increasingly more complex lace patterns
4) Designing and knitting with my own handspun (I've got boxes of the stuff and a real mental block over knitting with it!)
5) Expanding my knitting teaching repertoire

Of course, me being the craft butterfly that I am and facing the potential of 3 simultaneous lace knitalongs at the same time, I'm going off knitting... Honestly!

We've been here before way too many times, as soon as I put the pressure on a bit I go right off things, I've a desperate need to get cross stitching (which I know as soon as I get going on one I'll get frustrated with 'cos it takes so long) ; and I'll be back to Japanese Embroidery class in a couple of weeks so I'm itching to get the frame down and do some more before then. And as I've reduced the bear population by a couple I should finish a couple more...but I don't wanna...now!

I have started the Spring surprise shawl (and completed the first clue), completed one front of the Twilley's Jacket and started on an...eyelash project? Okay, I know it's passe and everything but I was seduced by this waterfall jacket pattern in a gorgeous coppery shade....



It's DEAD easy (though I will be tinkering with it!), in Sirdar Boa, a yarn type I always swore I'd never use because if you don't concentrate, it's extremely easy to drop stitches though it's a lighter weight than Wendy Shimmer, my original nemesis and so far so good. I actually don't care if I end up looking like an orange blimp, it's soo pretty! And it'll be a change from the fearless stuff, though I'll need to be fearless wearing it.

In other news, we're finally changing the car. Hub got the afternoon off yesterday and we trolled down to Arnold Clark in Liverpool where bizarrely we got the previous car exactly seven years ago bar a couple of weeks when its predecessor died, literally! In typical fashion, we've waited months but the first time we look we find the car and do the deal all in one go. It's been a mad dash organising finance today but fingers crossed it'll be ready for pick up next week. Now I'll have to pull my finger out and get some refresher lessons booked pronto!

Watch this space...