Happy New Year. We stayed up until midnight. banged pots and pans out the front and back door and I toasted all the dear departed souls who passed on in 2017. It won't be the same without them in 2018. Here's to you Henry, Alice, Roger, Cynthia and Martin. Forever to live in our hearts.
My brother joined us for dinner on New Year's Day and in true family fashion we all donned our Christmas Cracker Hats:
and dinner was delicious. I never take picture of the food I am about to eat but this just looked so pretty:
Ham and scalloped potatoes with carrots, turnips, beets, beet greens and of course red and green olives!
After dinner, (and a few chocolates) I started my 2018 knitting, because if you remember from last week everything was off my needles by midnight on the 31st.
I decided to cast on two test knits to start the year. I have one sock done:
and the colour isn't showing properly - the body colour matches the cuff much better than that. See?
I used the fish lips kiss heel and I had forgotten how easy it is and how much I love the fit. This will be my go to heel for 2018.
I can't show you any pics of my test knit for Knitterarium, but I can show you the three colours I am using for her gorgeous shawl.
It is a worsted/aran weight shawl and it is going to be beautiful both in design and weight.
I have so many little balls of odds and ends from all the shawls and socks I made in 2017 that I decided to cast on this scrappy bias shawl.
THIS....
is becoming THIS!
And then after a glorious day at the Korean Spa on Tuesday, and a lovely lunch with my childhood friend on Wednesday, I came down with the flu Wednesday afternoon. I felt so crappy that I didn't even want to knit! Horrors!
However I did manage to put my big projects on hold to knit up two little kits from my Simply Knitting magazines:
My hedgehog pin cushion:
and a Christmas Ornament (for next year because my tree was already down when I made this.)
It is suppose to be more round than oblong so I think this was a stuffing fail, but I like it as it is.
For Christmas my dh gave me his credit card to place a knitpicks order. I have ordered yarn for two shawls and a sweater/tee. I am so excited for the mail to get here. Happy Christmas to me!
I also found out I won a beautiful yarn bowl from the Stashdown group I belong to for my success in the Scavenger Hunt they ran last year. I will post pictures when it arrives.
I have challenged myself to spin up 12 lots of fibre this year - one a month - because although my yarn stash is quite mediocre, my fibre stash is taking up far too much space. If you want to join the Stashdown group we are here.
I also am challenging myself to knit 50 objects this year. I have two done already (see above) so I think this is doable. It is also doable because I want to knit 22 more little things for my Advent Calendar. I already have two things done, and I have downloaded all the little (free) patterns so stay tuned - it's only two a month and they are quite little (she says optimistically).
Oh my, I have written much more than I had planned. I guess I am feeling better and the pool is calling as I haven't been there since January 1!
Have a great week everyone, and to follow other yoppers check out their progress here.
The flu is terrible this year! I hope you are well and truly on the mend. Gavin has been suffering for a week now with no end in sight!
ReplyDeleteCute little hedgehog, but I might feel a bit guilty about pushing pins into him :)
Fifty projects sounds like a lot but if they're small ...
Happy New Year!
Wow! You had great New Year and it looks like you really know how to celebrate it! You looked so cute in your hat and the dinner did look delicious! Aren't cameras funny with colors? From one minute to the next you're not sure what you'll get. I loved your toast to all the dearly departed souls too....I think all any of us want is to be remembered fondly. So sorry you got the flu but it is really making the rounds and early too. Love your ornament and your hedgehog and your yarn colors for your shawl. What a great gift...to hand over the credit card! I can't wait to see when it comes in the mail. I like the idea of so many knitted items. I never thought of that but I do like setting goals for myself. I'm not doing an advent calendar but I want to make an ornament a month. Great excitement and hope at this time of year! Good luck to all of us and best wishes to you and yours for the coming year!
ReplyDeleteI love the picture of you all banging pots and pans out your front and back doors. And your toasting the loved one's you've lost this year. That is too many people to loose in such a short time. How good to honor them so. And those Christmas Cracker Hats. Sigh. All I can think reading this whole part of your post is now that our kids are grown and (nearly all) out of the house, I need me some more/new traditions and to make some new memories.
ReplyDeleteThe scrappy shawl is wonderful. What a perfect use for all those wonderful sock yarn leftovers.
I love reading all your plans and goals for 2018, Mary-Anne. I look forward to seeing all your creations this year!
You are prolific! I hope you're feeling much better. I too have succumbed to some sort of flu/cold/cough virus and am becoming very frustrated at not improving as quickly as I'd like. I need to get back to my blanket knitting as I have 2 grandbabies arriving in June.
ReplyDeleteLove your cracker hats. What a great tradition. Your dinner looks so pretty.
ReplyDeleteYou have done some wonderful knitting over the past few days. The colors you chose for the test knit will be great.
Happy new year dear.
The new sock is lovely! I keep meaning to try the FLK heel. Maybe this year! Your hedgehog is absolutely adorable!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lovely new year, with chocolate and knitting the icing on the cake. I forgot you were test knitting the shawl for Ruth, can't wait to see that one. The socks look gorgeous too.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to read that you came down with the flu right in the middle of the holiday period. I hope you are much, much better by the time this note reaches you. xx
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