The Rumpelstilskin Challenge

This year as like many other years I am trying to stash down, go cold sheep basically de-clutter my stash down to a realistic and manageable size.  I joined the Rumpelstiltskin Challenge back in 2011 and I decided as part of the get back into the swing of things to continue with this challenge.   

The aim of the challenge is to make the use of what you have to at hand. Spining gold from the straw at hand.  So far I have worked through the knitting basket in the lounge room.  I have made two pairs of socks and working my way on a third pair of socks.  Don't tell the Yarn Harlot but I am actually ahead and on target for my Christmas knitting.  I am attempting to get a head of the game and not have a horror December like I did about five years ago where I was still knitting on a present in the early dawn hours of Christmas morning.  Never again.  If I can manage to make one or two items per month for the Christmas List I will well ahead of the game. I am planning to have a goody box for each member of the family so there will a range of pressies for them bit like a packet of liquorice all sorts.

Today I cast on the third pair of socks, Kalajoli socks.  The pattern is very nice and since I have managed to do so much of the sock today I am sure that this pattern will be a repeat again this year. When I can almost do one whole sock in about three hours it definitely rates my repeat knitting list.

The biggest problem I have at the moment is that we haven't had a great amount of life so photos  have been impossible to do.  I keep trying but I keep getting foo bared by the weather and lack of light.

Soon as I get enough light I will be staging a photo shoot to update my Ravelry projects pages and to have some new photos for the blog. I also want to play with my camera.  I need to learn all the settings and all that since it is a wiz bang digital SLR.

First Day out of the New Year

Last year you could count on one hand the number times I left the house for a non medical appointment.  This year as part of the resolutions goals is a determined effort to get out of the house.  So Hubby had strict instructions to take me for a drive.  The camera was charged.  We had a lovely time out and came home just as it got wet and windy.  While sitting in Morrisons carpark waiting for him to pick up a few things for dinner I played with my newish camera and got photos of a sock I completed last October.  It was one of the first things I completed since picking up the needles again after the long lay off.

Waiting in Morrisons Carpark

The Sock is Jaywalker by Grumperina. The yarn was part of the stash additions I picked up from Yarndale in September 2013.  That was one of three outings I had last year.

The yarn is Lang Yarns Jawoll Magic Dégradé and of course I would like some more for the stash. 

New Years Resolutions

My new years resolutions tend to be goal orientated.  Daughter gave me one with her own personal sock bag challenge.  I am of course going to jump back into the 12 scarves in 12 months.  I have to get the Christmas pressie stock pile back up to scratch as the cupboard is completely bare there is nothing in the stockpile of just in case.

I want to get back treadling more frequently so I am aiming to be using my wheel at least one night per week. This year I want do some stash downing not just with balls of wool but also with fibre.  Apparently this is known as going COLD SHEEP. Rh has been giggling muchly about this phrase.  Since I am stash downing and wrangling control of the stash I have also signed onto the  'Unf$%k Your Habitat' bandwagon.  I am doing the modified version for the chronically ill,  At the moment I am interpreting the rules as 20 minutes on one area or chore per day.  I have even managed to get the rest of the household to sign up to the program as well.

Daughter also gave me another goal for this year that I start my Christmas knitting early. Boxing Day she puts in her next years Christmas order so I can get onto it early.  Hint Hint.  Not only that she did the big wonderful puppy dog eyes on New Years day and I ended up knitting a scarf hood for her finishing off the short deadline just in time for her to catch the train back to York on the 4th.  I just have to get a photo from her of her wearing said item.

I have already started this month sock three times. Really just confirming that I can not use double pointed needles for sock. I am not a magic loop knitter for socks.  For other projects yes. Socks Nope.  The sock has been kicking my butt so of course I have cast on some lace just to totally confuse myself between the two charted patterns.

The shawl I have cast on is not that complex but it has as a project helped me to get back into lace knitting.  Of course I have to make it slightly difficult for self as I am knitting this one in acrylic. The intended giftee of this project is currently residing in a care home so easy wash options was the necessary choice for the material selection.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year

For 2014 I am working on so many hopes but the key one is that I hope to keep improving health wise.  Daughter has been home for a short University Christmas New Year break.

It has been wonderful for us to have her home.  Lots of coffee, lots of chats and the house has become noisy again.  Daughter has certainly sparked things up over the last couple of weeks.  She came home just in time for Christmas Eve.  Served at Midnight Mass with her brother. He managed to burn his thumb relighting his candle as he was on duty as an acolyte.  They did the big procession in and we had some of the oldy but goody Christmas hymns. I was so worried that world war three would start on the altar but apparently there was no blood.

As a recognised invalid I get a visit from my own personal special minister i.e. my son.  Hopefully this year daughter will get a chance to become a special eucharistic minister and then we will have three in the family.  His dad is one too but doesn't get rostered on as they seem to think he has enough on his plate with me. Only thing now is to get the eucharistic minister rota maker to talk to the altar server rota maker to make sure that they don't get two different shifts on the same day. The boyo got two different jobs at two different mass times.  He was not impressed.

Crafting wise daughter has helped me with a lovely Christmas pressie.  Ry bagged up 12 balls of sock wool and gave it to me as part of my Christmas gift.  Each bag has a theme challenge and hopefully I will have a full sock draw again. I swear we have a resident sock monster or two in this household beside the boyo.

Rh has no quarms about wearing his mother's feminine lace patterned socks when he is short of a pair.  It seems that rolling them down under the padded collars of his boot shafts. With a pair of long pants over the top none of his mates are going to see his socks.  Rh got a santa sock full of socks so hopefully my lacey pairs won't go walking into his room yet again.

Grumpy aka the husbeast loved his Christmas gauntlets that I knitted for him.  I just wish he would learn his left from his right hand.  Maybe he will do so this year.  Well anyway best wishes and hope you and yours have a happy and safe year.