On New Year's Resolutions

I'm not typically one for making New Year's resolutions. I'm easily distracted and generally lack the commitment necessary to make the changes worthwhile. I've been thinking though, that making a change in one area of my life might not be too challenging or overwhelming. While I'd like to say I'll lose weight, read more, go back to school, finish my knitting, etc... realistically I know this just isn't likely to happen. My hope for this year is that if I focus on one goal, that other goals might begin to fall into place. With that mind, I've decided to devote 2012 to knitting.

2012 Knitting Goals (in no particular order)

• Update my blog at least monthly (January ~ check)
• Finish Sudoku
• Finish Jimmy's sweater
• Update Ravelry photos and projects
• Take a spinning class
• Have Max's fur spun into yarn
• Work on TKGA Master Knitter portfolio

New Year, New Beginnings... Sort Of...

I promise I shall not neglect my blog this year!

I've actually been knitting quite a bit the past few months. That's not to say I've finished anything but I have been making an effort to keep knitting. It seems most of my time is eaten up with work and teaching. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent on other people's knitting.

This year I will finish everything on my needles! Let the inventory begin...

Spanish Peacock

I've started Spanish Peacock from A Gathering of Lace. It is one of the charts shown in the back of the book in the gallery section. This is really a pretty easy pattern. I'm using Addi Turbo US 7 Lace needles I moved my marker at the beginning of the rounds listed below to prevent the pattern from spiraling.

Round 23: 1 stitch to the left
Round 24: 1 stitch to the left
Round 28: 2 stitches to the left
Round 30-45: 1 stitch to the left
Round 46: 1 stitch to the right

On most of the rounds, the first stitch knit will be knit again at the end of the round to complete sl2kpsso. After completing sl2kpsso I placed my marker on the right hand needle and then went on to work the first stitch on the left hand needle. For the rounds where the marker only needs to be moved 1 stitch to the left, it is not necessary to move the marker further. On round 28 I knit the first stitch on the left needle and then placed the Marker.

READ YOUR KNITTING!!! I only give this pattern a medium rating because it is not necessarily intuitive to everyone that the marker needs to be moved on certain rounds, otherwise it would be very easy. The stitches are not difficult and in fact the pattern gets boring pretty quickly.

It Came!!!!

Oh yes, my packet arrived in the mail today! Now I just need to pick out some yarn and get started. I think I'll start with Galway and Cascade 220. I do have some beautiful Shepherd's Wool in creamsicle which probably isn't light enough, but is so soft to work with.

The Cult of Knitting

I finally broke down and joined the Cult of Knitting. I'm not sure what it says about me that I really care how a small group of women will evaluate my knitting, but I'm pretty excited.

Drive-by Update

Okay so I've updated my flickr and ravelry pages. That's enough for one night. I'll post a proper updated here soon. If you're really curious and can't wait you can type in pixelknits on ravelry and take a peak.

Teaching

So I'm going to be a knitting instructor. It was a strange interview, if one can call it that. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Hi, this is pixelknits. I'm the girl who's working on the Sudoku Afghan and Tilting at Windmills and I'm interested in the Knitting Instructor position you posted

A: Have you ever taught before?

Me: Not professionally, just a few friends and children of my friends

A: I'm always getting asked if we have kids classes and with summer starting in a couple of months I'd like to offer one.

Me: I don't mind teaching children. I wish my son would let me teach him, but I have to borrow all my friends' children.

A: You're hired!

Anyway, I'll be teaching Beginning and Intermediate classes as well as Technique and Project classes. I have to come up with a class schedule this week to start at the end of April and carry into early June. I'm really excited and only a little nervous, just because I want to do a good job and keep it interesting.

For the technique class I'm thinking of doing double-knitting and brioche stitch. For the project class, perhaps a Fair Isle pillow, a baby sweater or a Shibori or Lace scarf.