A kind of review of 2011

Yesterday it started raining in the morning, which quickly turned into icy-rain, and later snow, but it was too warm, and wet to stay snow, once on the ground. It was slush everywhere. Then later in the afternoon, it started to turn white. We enjoyed being outside a lot. At around 10PM we went outside the last time for the day. It was sticky snow, and you could still hear water dripping down the eaves-through.



I didn't use flash light for the photos, and they are not too sharp, but you get the idea of the "funny" light out at that time of day. There were lights on, at the back of the house though.


sticky snow



Happy is the one, who loves the snow most. He was totally pooped at the end of the day.



Seeing Maggie on this sofa is a joyous event.



Since we've got house guests, she's been spending most of her time in the crate in the basement. Door open, but she rarely got out, only when I opened the door to the backyard. She's totally freaked.
Our guests left for the day, early morning, only to come back sometime this evening. So she didn't hear anything weird from upstairs, and she got courageous, and played with the boys, and even went upstairs with me.

The boys initially loved the newcomers, but on the second day, they found out that the guests are smokers, and since then they don't go near them. I can't think of an other explanation, since they still greeted a non-smoking guest enthusiastically. Oh well, soon the house will belong to us again, and they can relax.

***
Now here's my sort of review over my year in spinning, and knitting, concerning my private sock club.

I took a picture each month of what I've spun.


This turned out to be a total of 21.5 pounds or 9.75 kilograms.

Not bad. Surpassed all my expectations!

My goal for my private sock club was, to knit a pair of socks each month, from one of my many sock books, or single patterns bought. I did not quite achieve that goal. Apparently it's hard for me to follow instructions; I just have to do my own thing once in a while. Only seven pairs are from books or downloads.



I'm just finishing up my last, and 19th pair of socks for this year. Not bad either, considering, that I've knit and finished 60 projects total.
hats: 10
shawls: 17
scarf: 1
cowls: 2
full pairs of mittens: 6
fingerless pairs of mittens: 5
pairs of socks: 19

I've had more FO's in the past years, but I didn't spin then, or spin that much.

I can say, that my hands were never idle. There were maybe a few days, you can count on one hand, where I did not knit, spin, or crochet (which did not amount to anything, got ripped).

***

So, for the coming year in crafting, I'm going on a fiber/yarn/pattern buying diet. I'm stocked up quite nicely. I'll still be getting fiber from two fiber clubs I'm in. For the first three month of the new year, I'll be getting fiber from a third club, which will not be renewed. One really hard decision was to let go of Hello Yarn Fiber Club a few month ago. Once you are out, you are out. Her waiting list is a closed one, but I just had too much fiber coming in, and I had to decide which I wanted to keep, and which club I could let go.

I'm also signed up for shawl clubs, which will go into the year 2012 (looking forward to all of them. There's Romi Hill's Second Year of 7 small shawls, Westknits shawl club, and Anne Hanson's Bare Naked Knitspot club, just the patterns, not the yarn).

I wont be buying magazines, and knitting books, or single patterns for download on ravelry (very hard indeed), but I really want to knit from what I already have, and enjoy it too.

Since I'll be spinning again throughout the year, I'll be creating new yarns to knit with too.

***
Well, there you have it! That's what I'm planning to do, and I can be weak, but also strong willed! :o) Lets see how it goes.

***
So this morning the pups had fun in the snow.




BTW- Wandering Cat Yarns has a sale going on. I've already got my share. :o) Just saying.