My Summer 2009 Knitting Goals & Contest Winners

I kept meaning to get my own knitting goals for the summer down on paper, but I kept getting sidetracked with 101 other things- that should tell me something. Something like keep it slightly simpler this season, time is fleeting, and my main goal for this summer is to enjoy the time with my family. That being said- I still intend to knit, and probably quite a bit. So here goes:

1. Baby J needs a new hoodie
2. Little M will need a Bulky jacket for fall
3. Some fancy mittens, pour moi!
4. Bulky mittens, pour moi aussi, for winter driving (I'm a major cold wimp, especially in the fingers department, no, especially in the any part of my body department)
5. 1 pair of socks for my husband
6. Cozy hats, in Worsted, for my 3 big guys (husband included)
7. New summer tank
8. Second Skinny Dyed shrug (and publish pattern)
9. A short sleeve variation...
10. Second (bigger!) stripey Sport Weight Baby J vest (and publish pattern)
11. A Felicity hat, or two... by Wanett Clyde
12. An Elefante, by Susan B. Anderson
13. A couple lacy washcloths, because little knit luxuries are so sweet
14. Ingenue, by Wendy Bernard
15. Tiny Brocade Cardigan, by Ann Weaver
16. A couple pairs of socks for Baby J (publish freebie pattern)
17. Design and knit a coordinating hat
18. Design and knit some short sleeve cardigans for the girls
19. Design and knit a zippered ribbed raglan for at least one boy
20. Design and knit a summery Cotton cardigan

I think that's enough for now (or maybe the next 2 years, we shall see.) I also have way too much sewing planned, some new recipes to try, a struggling garden to tend, picnics to have, and a host of other things to fill up my summer days. It will be snowing again before I know it- it always happens that way...

And for the news you've all been reading for- a random sequence has been generated, and the winners are, in order, The BeanQueen, Janice, aka The Viking Princess, and the non-blogging quiet Raveling, Purple. Congrats- and thanks for playing!

I really hope you have all been a little motivated with the goal setting exercise. Please, please, don't pressure yourselves. This isn't about setting yourself up for dismal failure, but rather, about having some clarity and focus in our knitting and various other creative endeavors. Now, on to the knitting, and don't forget to enjoy your summer!

Happy knitting-

ali

2009 Summer Knitting Goals Contest

Totally random pic, simply because it made me laugh!

It's that time of year again. While warmer temperatures have already moved in, the official start of Summer 2009 is just around the corner, and that can only mean one thing, at least in the tiny world that revolves around me.

It's time to set some summer goals, more specifically, knitting goals.

You may remember some lofty goals from previous years. I'm a list maker. I'm lost without a list. I forget things like buns for the burgers without a list. I'm also a goal setter. I believe in putting a little pressure on myself, for without it I would end up spending most of every day with a good book, magazine, or movie, eating pizza- with paper plates.

New Year's resolutions aren't good enough for me. They're great for a week or two, but I need something more, like quarterly progress reports, so I set quarterly goals, even monthly and weekly at times, and I'm not just talking about knitting. Research has shown that people who make goals tend to be more productive and more successful, and those that actually write them down are even more so. I don't accomplish even half of what I set out to do, but with my slightly thought out goals I accomplish more than I ever would without them.

Here's where the fun comes in- incentives, it's like a Tupperware party, except you don't have to sell anything. You don't even have to achieve your goals, just set some, even one. This annual contest is specifically about summer knitting goals -what to you hope to knit by summer's end?- but don't let that limit you, feel free to add goals in any area of life that needs a little more intentional living.

I'm working on a few more goodies to add to the packages, but here's what we're starting off with-

Package #3-

• 1 skein of Suri Merino from Blue Sky Alpacas, in Cloud
• 1 copy of the Tie Sweater pattern
• 1 cute little bar of very special natural soap
• some form of chocolate
• a lovingly handcrafted notecard

Package #1-

• 2 skeins of Skinny Dyed from Blue Sky Alpacas, in Pink
• 1 copy of the Simple Raglan pattern
• 1 copy of the Skinny Cardigan pattern
• 1 cute little bar of very special natural soap
• some form of chocolate
• 2 lovingly handcrafted notecards

Package #1-

• 3 skeins of Dyed Cotton (my favorite!!) from Blue Sky Alpacas, in Expresso
• 1 copy of the Fitted Tank pattern
• 1 copy of the Eyelet Cardigan pattern
• 1 copy of the ever adorable Baby Bobbi Bear pattern
• 1 copy of the so cute I can hardly stand it Knit Chickens pattern (by the very fun and talented Susan B. Anderson!)
• 1 cute little bar of very special natural soap
• some form of chocolate
• 4 lovingly handcrafted notecards

One of my goals (hehe) is to make the packages bigger and better each year! I'm having fun thinking of things to add...

I'm working on my list (always!) and will post it early next week. Now it's your turn. Set a goal (or 2 or 3), post a list (with a link back here), leave a comment, then on to the knitting, and the living, one day at a time, one moment at a time. Enjoy it.

Happy knitting-
ali

***Extra details- leave a comment by midnight June 21st, the first day of summer. Each comment will get a number and I'll use a random number generator to pick the winners. If your number comes up, I'll head to your blog and check for your goals list, if I can't find one, I'll go to the next number (so don't forget to post!)... If you're blogless, what is wrong with you?! Totally kidding! I guess you'll just have to leave a list here in the comments, no biggee, that'll work.

One Lucky Winner!

Okay, the moment has come- time to announce the yarny goodness winner. I was mighty impressed with the response- there were a lot of new names/faces for me, which is only logical considering the many thousands of knitters there are in this great big world we all share. I've been having fun stopping by so many new blogs, getting a glimpse of your interests and talents- what a super group of people!

Suzanne, of foofanagle, contact me at aliATskeinsherway DOTcom,

with your address- congrats & enjoy!

(She happens to be having a giveaway of her own right now- if you're also a quilter, you should head on over before 8 pm June 2nd!)

In garden news, it was a rather cool morning, which was nice for the hefty work of pounding in about a 100 stakes in the laying out of all the rows. There is much more work to be done yet this week and we will have some friends out to plant their own little plot as well. They have a small city lot and are looking forward to bringing their kids out to see how green their thumbs are. I can't wait! Fun stuff!

In knitting news, I've been swatching with another new Spud & Chloe yarn, their bulky weight aptly named "Outer". It is so very, very, soft. The cotten content simply begs petting, and I don't mind complying, not one little bit. My notebook is filling up with sketches of design ideas, now if only my days could fill up with several (dozen) more hours.

Kid Funny- As my youngest girls were settling in to bed tonight, I could hear the sing-song-y question "Can I get a napkin, please?", which is ten times funnier than it might seem at first glance, if you're a fan of musicals at all, and the Food Court Musical, in particular. Too cute. Oh stink, now it's stuck in my head, I'll probably drift off singing it too.

And speaking of cute, I'm totally biased, I know, but seriously-

Enough for now,

happy knitting-

ali

Plugging Away and a Contest!

I was going to start off by saying that life has been moving a-mile-a-minute for the past couple weeks, but then, after doing the math quickly in my head, I realized that if you still use the 'old math'* that would mean 60 miles per hour, which is not really very impressive. It's actually rather average. Life is moving 2-miles-a-minute just sounds silly...

"Let me 'splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up." (reference anyone?)

I am now the owner of 2 very nice and very expensive pairs of lovely Dansko shoes. Why is this important? Well, it seems that wearing crummy shoes (crummy being defined as 'having little to no arch support) when one has extremely high arches can really catch up with a person, and make it quite difficult to do ordinary daily things, like walk. It would also seem that increasing inflammation in one's hip can actually cause said hip to go 'out of joint'.

A morning of crutches, an emergency chiropractor appointment or two, an ice pack, and new shoes... yeah, fun stuff. Sheesh!

The limping is much less now and the pain even lesser (except maybe the pain in the checkbook). I'm pretty sure that last pre-parenthetical phrase was nowhere near grammatically correct. I can't even blame it on heavy pain killers, as, due to nursing Baby J, I'm not taking anything other than an occasional ibuprofen.

Enough about my aches and pains already! Onto the knitting... or at least the new yarn giveaway! I've got 3 skeins of the new 'Sweater' yarn from Spud & Chloe that can be yours for the asking, or more blog-appropriately, the commenting. Comment here by midnight Memorial Day (or whenever I wake up on Tuesday...) for your chance to win! Post a link on your blog (and come back to leave the link here- it just makes it easier for me,...) for another chance. Tell me who's blog you link-hopped from and you'll both get another chance. Okay, I'd better get to work on the spreadsheet to keep track of it all.

I'm hoping to finally get some decent pictures taken of a few recent FOs this weekend. Would before, or after, our first camping adventure of the year be better? Hmmm...

Have fun, spread the word, and happy knitting-

ali

PS- After commenting here, hop on over to Susan B. Anderson's blog (by Friday!) for another chance to win some of this fabulous yarn and a copy of her Sweet Pea Hat pattern!

*If you use the 'new new math', well, then you could just go with whatever speed you feel is right... it's just easier that way.

Holiday Yarn Winners

I know, I said Monday. I'm going with the 'I have a 6 week old nursing baby' excuse. It's a good excuse. Procrastination being my middle name (not to mention being very easily distractable), not such a good excuse, but also very much a reason for many a thing coming in a wee bit post deadline in my life... My 10th grade Biology teacher, once obviously impressed with my 15 yr old intellect, eloquence, charm, & charisma, told me I could be the first female President some day if I'd just stop procrastinating- I turned in more than one perfect paper late- I told him I'd get right on that, starting tomorow, or maybe the day after...

I realized I couldn't just pick the best sounding recipe, as a couple dear friends entered this time, and I didn't know if I could be trusted to remain impartial, and I can't just go around funneling yarn to my friends... so I had my 7 year old pick numbers, that was easy.

Our first winner, of the Cranberry Worsted, is AuntiEm, and coming in second, for the Sweet Potato Pie Brushed Suri, is Turtle. Congrats, gals! Send your snail mail address to ali@skeinsherway.com, and I'll get those packages together and try to get them out the door this weekend.

Thanks for all the recipe ideas- I've definitely got some cooking with cranberries to be doing in the next few weeks, and I honestly do plan to try some sweet potato recipes soon too. I'll try to remember to work on my food pics and post my success stories, or if I'm feeling real brave, maybe even my flops- like the classic 8 hour bread, that was a good one... What? You've never heard of 8 hour bread? Well, maybe you will...

Back to the knitting-

happily,

ali