February Goals

I'm not sure how enticing my goals posts are to the general public, but I really find them helpful for me to be accountable to anyone who reads my posts.  So, I'm going to continue on with them.  I'm not going to go back to my last goals post since it was so long ago, nor will I do a recap of my 2018 goals for the year.  I'll just jump in and outline my goals for February 2019.

Sewing & Quilting

1. Finish Warm Winter Sudoku wardrobe
2. Plan the next capsule wardrobe - this one will be an athletic wear wardrobe
3. Finish Baby Girl F's (my granddaughter!) Mermaid Quilt and crib sheets

Knitting & Spinning

1. Finish M'Agatha sweater - this would be perfect to coordinate as an extra with my Warm Winter Sudoku Wardrobe!
2. Finish the orange baby sweater for Baby Girl F
3. Finish last pair of 2018 socks
4. Start Monkey Socks
5. Knit a pair of socks for my grandson, Deklan
6. Finish Deklan's Toronto Maple Leafs sweater
7. Sew together Augusta cardigan and finish!  This would also coordinate really well with my Warm Winter Sudoku Wardrobe!
8. Spin 15 minutes a day (when I'm not travelling)

Reading

1. Finish current Bruno, Chief of Police, Book #2 by Martin Walker - I am absolutely loving these easy to read novels about Bruno, a former solider turned police chief in St. Denis, France.  
2. Start & finish Bruno, Chief of Police, Book #3 by Martin Walker
3. Start Bruno, Chief of Police, Book #4 by Martin Walker
4. Finish 9 Minutes on Monday by James Robbins
5. Choose next business book to read

Health

1. Continue cycling training program.  This includes cycling four-five days per week (I'm currently using a pretty plain-Jane stationary bike I bought in mid-December).  I'm finding the biking really boring, but try to make it more exciting by using the time to catch up on video podcasts.  I'm loving how strong I'm already starting to feel.
2. Aim to be in bed by 10 pm, lights out by 10:30 pm 

There you have it, February goals.  Let's see how hard I can crush these!

I Finished Something!

I'm a bit off my posting schedule lately.  I have been doing a fair bit of travelling for work lately, and as a result am not getting time in my sewing room, which I like to call L'Atelier as I like to be fancy.   Knitting travels with me everywhere I go, and I've been knitting a few items to wear on an upcoming vacation to Prague and Vienna.  I have finished something - last night in fact, while watching the hockey game in between the second and third period (Go Leafs Go!!).   Anyways...it's not a sewn FO, but rather a knitted FO.  Well, actually...to be fair, it's a knitted and sewn FO. 

I used this pattern:

It's a pattern from King Cole in their Opium yarn, which is a bulky weight, thick and thin, cotton blend yarn (54% Cotton, 42% Premium Acrylic, 4% Polymide). 



I saw it made up at my local yarn store (LYS) on a Knit Night a few months back.  Their sample was a sleeveless version, which you just make the front and back, and not the sleeves!  Being often stuck in a sleeve black hole, this really appealed to me.  Plus, I was ready for something summery. 

The knitting is very straightforward, only a front and back (at least for the sleeveless version).  The instructions for the front drape are easy to follow.  It was a super quick knit, particularly because I used 6.0 mm needles.  The yarn needed a bit of attention to work with, because of the thick and thin nature, but it was still easy to knit.

Here's where the sewing portion comes in - I sewed the front and back together with my sewing machine, using a  narrow seam allowance and a 2.5 wide by 3.0 long zigzag stitch.  This kind of feels like cheating in the handknitting world, but I really hate sewing my hand knit pieces together.  So that moment of feeling guilty passes really quickly.

I can't wait till the warmer weather hits so I can wear this.  I think it will look great layered over a fitted knit cami in various colours (like white, blush pink, hot pink, even cocoa, sage or olive green - AKA Spring in Prague SWAP colours).  I'm envisioning it being dressed up or down depending on the bottoms I wear it with - jeans, flowy shorts, culottes or even a maxi-skirt.  I'm sure it will integrate very well into my Spring in Prague SWAP travel wardrobe.

Up next on my sewing table:

Socks, Socks, Socks (and another pair of Socks)

I've managed to finish a few more pairs of socks.  Socks are total zone out knitting for me, at least plain vanilla socks are.  I always have a pair of plain vanilla socks with me when I'm out of the house to knit on any time I've got a few minutes of waiting time, or when I'm at home and just can't focus at the end of a long day.  I'm also finding I don't always want a plain zone-out style of knit, and I've also been knitting socks with texture or pattern in them - these projects typically stay at home where I can focus a bit more on them.

My last post on finished knitting projects (found here) alluded to a few more pairs of socks that were in progress.  And...Surprise!! They're finished!

Pair #8 is my March Personal Sock club pair - and I absolutely loved knitting every minute of these.  The yarn was amazing to knit with (it's Yarn Enabler Fun(damental) Sock Wool in Tornado colourway).  The pattern is a bastardization of the Mercury Socks pattern - I incorporated the lace pattern into my own personal sock recipe.  The lace was easy to memorize and fun to work.  The resulting socks are so pretty and soft and just lovely.



Pair #9 - and again, they're all mine!  The yarn is ScrumptiousPurl Stripe Me Up in Cake for Breakfast colourway, with the heels, toes, and cuffs from Estelle Yarns Alpaca Merino Fine.  I blame the Grocery Girls for this purchase, they showed this colourway on their video podcast and I immediately had to order some. Totally luscious!  Thank you, Grocery Girls!


Pair #10 is a pair for my sister for her birthday, made from ONline Supersocke, colourway Fun Colour 765.  I love the happy colour of these! Now all I have to do is mail them to her.


Pair #11 is a pair for my youngest daughter's boyfriend.  Even though his feet are bigger than my sock blockers, I loved knitting these too.  The yarn is again Stripe Me Up from ScrumptiousPurl in a Game of Thrones colourway - King's Landing.  The heels, toes and cuffs are Lion Brand Sock Ease in Circus Peanut colourway.  There is a bit of a pattern, which I kind of made up as I went along.  I slipped random stitches as the colour changed, which brings up the colour of the slipped stitch into the next colour.  Just a bit different and more interesting than just plain stockinette stitch.



I'm currently working on pairs #12 & #13.  Here's a teaser:



I'm already done sock #1 of the April PSC pair (on the right), and almost done sock #1 of the pair on the left.  I. Can't.  Stop.

I'm also a Knitter with a Capital K

My posts lately have been all about the sewing.  Sewing bras, my SWAP plans, my completed SWAP garments, my failed-ish attempt at lounge wear...but sewing nonetheless.  My goals posts usually have a knitting section, but I realized that I don't often show off my finished knitted garments/items here.

I've been a knitter for a LONG time, my grandmother taught me initially when I was around four (yup, 4), but I didn't become really prolific at it until my girls were born, so about 28 years ago or so.  Now, you will very likely find me with some knitting in my hands any time I'm sitting down and not at work.

Today's post is all about the socks.  I knit socks.  All.  The.  Time.  I consistently have a pair of Plain Vanilla socks on the go - plain vanilla for the uninitiated is just as it sounds - a pair of socks that are a plain stitch, which means I use only the knit stitch in the round.  This makes them great for knitting while watching TV, or in line somewhere, or at the movies, or as a passenger in a car, on a train or in a plane (in a box with a fox), but mostly it makes them great for using wildly crazy sock yarn.

I have set a goal for myself to knit 20 pairs of socks in 2018.  Last year I managed to finish 17.5 pairs.  I only finished the first sock of the last pair during 2017, and completed second sock of that pair in the first week of 2018, but it's a weird pair that straddles the years so I'm not really counting it in the 2018 goal.  Anyway, I've been knitting like mad since the new year.  I have a million skeins of sock yarn (well, only a close exaggeration, but not far off) and wanted to use them instead of buying a new sock club (where sock yarn shows up every month or two in your mailbox and you don't know what colour its going to be until you open the package), so I asked my daughter for her help.  I set her loose on my sock yarn stash, and gave her twelve paper lunch bags and asked her to choose 12 skeins, one for each month.  She wrote the month on the outside of each bag, put the yarn in and then sealed the bags.  I have no idea what colour I'll be getting or what yarn for that matter.  Voila, my own personal sock club.



In addition to the PSC, I routinely knit socks for my family for each of their birthdays, plus at least six more pairs for Christmas presents, and that adds up to quite a few pairs.

Somehow this has turned into bragging about how many pairs I can knit, but what I really wanted to show you was what I've already accomplished this year.  Without further ado, here are the seven pairs I've already completed in 2018:

#1 - I knit this pair for my youngest daughter's boyfriend.  I somehow screwed up the stitch count on the pair I made him for his birthday last year and they were a bit tight on him, so I told him to give those ones to my daughter, and with much haste (and embarrassment, though my daughter was very pleased) knitted him a new pair.



#2 - my first pair from the Personal Sock Club (PSC), January edition.  I just love the bright colours in these.  That's also why my daughter picked this particular yarn, because our winter can be dull and dreary and she wanted to brighten up my day.

 

#3 - I have had my eye on this yarn for a while, so when I finished my PSC for January, I just couldn't wait to cast these on.



#4 - February PSC socks - this colourway!  this yarn!! so soft.  This is where I started deviating from the Plain Vanilla socks and added a bit of texture.  But the textured pattern I chose for this one is easy but super cool!

#5 - I affectionately call these the Love Sick socks.  I cast them on on Valentine's Day as a gift to me, but then promptly got sick.  I was so sick I didn't even knit.  That's super sick as anyone who knows me will tell you.  As I started getting better, I finished the pair while confined to the couch, watching the Olympics.

#6 - Easter Egg Birthday Socks - these are for my mom for her birthday.  I'm giving them to her after her actual birthday, but I don't think she'll complain ;)

#7 - Moar Birthday Socks - my dad's birthday is less than two weeks after my mom's.  That makes for difficult knitting deadlines, but again, I don't think he'll complain that he gets them after his birthday either. 

If I can keep up at this rate (my math says its average of 3 pairs per month, but I've also been known to get math horribly wrong), I'll be at my goal by by the end of August, with time to spare for more Christmas knits.  I do want to get a sweater or two done this year too though, so who knows how many I'll be able to accomplish.  I'm already half way through two more pairs which I'm absolutely loving (YASSS!!!)

Pairs in progress:


You can see all my knitting projects on Ravelry, my name there is Tonia2000.

What about you?  Are you a knitter?  Are you on Ravelry?

November!

Oh my gosh, you guys, it has been an insane month.  I had work trips to Chicago, Alliston, London (Ontario), Smith’s Falls, Ottawa (and another 500 km route around the area in one day), then Kitchener.  I think I slept more in a hotel room than in my own house!  I am so happy to be done with the Fall Tradeshow season, and really focus on a few things within the office, as well as my home.  As a result, I didn’t get as much done as I would have liked for my own personal goals.  Don't get me wrong - I’m not disappointed with myself - I’m getting better with being realistic and self-care! (Also maybe because I’m too tired, haha).

Without further ado, here’s a wrap-up of my October goals:

Knitting

1.  Finish the heels in at least two pairs of socks.  Christmas is coming and these would make perfect gifts.  BOOM, nailed this one!  I finished heels in FIVE, count’em, FIVE pairs of socks.  It feels so good to get them off my WIP list!!  

2.  Finish the Armande cardigan sweater I'm currently working.  It goes really well with my Chicago wardrobe mentioned above.  And who can resist being wrapped in Malabrigo Rios?! I haven’t even picked this up.  I got started on my Christmas knitting so this took a back seat.  I think I'll put this one over until all my Christmas crafting has been finished.
3.  Make a list of Christmas gifts and start working on them. How's that for a specific goal? LOL  This will consist of slippers, socks, hats and mittens, but I have to figure out which patterns, which yarn and which recipients.  I’m well entrenched into my Christmas knitting - and loving it!  I have so much fun planning and making things for my loved ones!
4. This is a spinning goal, but I'll include it here as it is yarn related.  I have two braids that I've spun for two separate coordinating two ply yarns that I'd like to finish plying.  These won't likely see any knitting action until the new year when all my Christmas knitting has been finished, but I've been using my spinning time as my meditation in the mornings lately.  Well, this hasn’t gotten much love either - I’ve been spinning for a few minutes here and there when I need a break from my knitting :)

Sewing/Wardrobe

1. Update my casual wardrobe for fall/winter

• go through my closet and toss/donate old, dated/aged or unworn items
• make a list of "holes" that need to be filled
• start sewing these holes
• I already know that one of them is a jean jacket
• another is casual pants
• and a hooded vest

Well, I’ll be honest with you - my sewing has taken a back seat this month.  I miss it, and will hopefully be getting back into it in November!  Knitting is a lot easier to take with you to a hotel room!  I'll also be honest with myself in that I'm going to have to put this off until my Christmas crafting is done.
2.  Decide on a winter coat pattern and pull fabric and notions from the stash nope, same reason I haven’t gone through my casual wardrobe.  I am holding off on this one as well until my Christmas crafting is done as well.
3.  Make a dress for work/office wear, wool crepe I started this, and made my usual adjustments.  The front of the dress looks amazing, but the back, despite pinching out 3/4" for my swayback adjustment, still needs about another 1-1/2" pinched out.  I will rip out the zipper, and put in a "faux seam" at the back (basically sewing in a horizontal dart) and re-insert the zipper. Since this is a sleeveless dress and since my plate is a bit full with Christmas sewing, this will wait until my Christmas sewing is done.
4.  Make a pair of trousers for work/office wear, wool suiting yes!  I made a pair of a navy blue tropical wool trousers.  More details to follow in another post.

I didn't write this goal down, but I had it in the back of my mind as Halloween approached.  I made a costume for my grandson - I didn't make any promises as I wasn't sure how things would go, but when I was in the Fabricland in Ottawa, I formulated a plan and got the things I needed to make this:

What does the fox say?
Happy Halloween!

Cutest fox EVAH!!

Reading

1. Finish reading The Highland Witch by Susan Fletcher. This is a historical fiction novel about a woman in Scotland in the late 1600s.  It is completely opposite of the saccharine book I read last month.  I'm finding it well written, very engaging and I'm totally absorbed into the story.  I highly recommend it so far!  You can find it here: The Highland Witch at Amazon.ca. 
You guys!!! I LOVED this book.  I was sad when I finished it, in part due to the story/plot line but mostly because I wanted to keep reading it!
2.  Finish reading Knight's Cross by Christine Kling, the third book in The Shipwreck Adventures trilogy I've enjoyed this series as well, easy to read yet enough believable plot twists to keep me interested I haven't finished reading this one yet, but I have picked it up again.
3.  Chose the next fiction book to read. I am reading Darkness Falls by Frank Tallis - the 5th (?) in a series of murder mysteries set in the early 1900s in Austria.  This is a great series, and an easy and intriguing read - I've been reading this before bed each night.

November Goals

My goals for November are primary Christmas focused.  I think it is so special to give something that has been hand-crafted specifically with the recipient in mind.

Knitting
1.  Finish Christmas socks for Steve & Sara

2.  Start and finish a Christmas sweater for Deklan (my cutie patootie grandson who will be celebrating his first Christmas this year)

3.  Finish heels in the remaining three pairs of socks

Sewing
1.  Order fabric for the family Christmas flannel pants (I'm cheating a bit on this one, because I actually did this yesterday).  Did you know you can order online from Fabricland (my local chain fabric store)?  It's actually their head office in Quebec, but shipping is super cheap and no worries about exchange rates or customs fees for us Canadians!  I can justify ordering online because not many places have 15 meters of the same flannelette available!

2.  Sew said family Christmas flannel pants (I have five adults and one baby to sew these for).  I usually use a production line style of sewing for these so it doesn't take more than an evening for one or two pairs.

3.  Choose dress pattern for Christmas work party dress, and pull fabric from the stash.  

4.  Make a list of Christmas events that I will be attending, and figure out what I'm wearing (note to self:  be realistic here with what you can actually sew for these events!)

5.  Make one Blackwood cardigan

6.  Make one Toaster sweater I'm justifying to myself that I need these last two to stay warm in this weather and I'm missing a few colours to go with my current wardrobe.  Also, I've just watched a pile of YouTube videos this morning where people have made Toaster sweaters and they look so warm and cozy!

And, in the interest of being completely honest, I bought a pile of fabric at the Ottawa Fabricland (despite being a chain store, each Fabricland seems to have slightly different stock, so I always make a point of checking out the stores when I travel if I have time) that I really want to incorporate into my fall/winter wardrobe.  I have pre-treated some sweater knits, and I have a gorgeous faux textured suede fabric in burgundy that is waiting to be turned into a jacket.  Maybe while I'm waiting for the flannelette to arrive??  this is more of a dream than a goal, but I figured I'd put it in here anyways :)

Reading

1.  Finish Darkness Falls by Frank Tallis

2.  Finish Knight's Crossing by Christine Kling

3.  Choose next fiction book (probably the next Louise Penny book in her series I've been reading - I bought the Kindle version of this a while ago and really want to get back into this series)

4.  Continue reading Crucial Conversations 

Well, it's a dark, dreary, damp and drizzly Sunday morning here, but after taking a full rest day yesterday, I'm ready to go - energized (sort of) and dreaming of sewing projects, so I'm heading down to L'atelier Tonia for some sewing!!

What are you sewing/crafting for Christmas?

September Goals Check-In & October Goals

Alternatively titled "Reality Check - Living on the Edge"

This week has been crap.  I can say I'm lucky that nobody died, or that I've experienced any serious life threatening issues, I'm still healthy, yada yada yada, but it's still been crap.  My AC in the house broke down in the midst of our extremely crazy heat wave (near 100F with the humidity, which is NOT normal for us here in Ontario at any time of year, especially when its technically Fall), the brakes needed to be done on my car ($$$), I had a rock almost come through the windshield of the car I was borrowing while said brakes were being done (it was my son-in-law's car, and I've offered to pay to get it fixed - it's not technically my fault, but one of those shitty things that happen and I don't want him to have to foot the bill for my bad luck), this is an extra mortgage payment month (I get paid monthly, and have accelerated bi-weekly payments and while I plan for this, it's still not easy to make it all work), and I've had to pay my annual house insurance this month as well.  Oh, and I broke my baby toe while cleaning up the yarn room earlier this week.  Yes, an actual yarn related injury.  I can almost wear regular shoes again.  No pointy toe heels for a while though. 

And that was all this past week!

Anyways, you didn't come here to listen to me whine.

For the observant of you who are avidly awaiting my posts, particularly those where I list out my goals for public consumption, you will notice that I've actually skipped a month of goals and checking in. I'm not sure how that happened, because I must have thought about this blog post a million times over the past two months.  Well, now that I've listed everything out above, I can actually see a pattern as to why I didn't get around to blogging.  In any event, for my many, many faithful followers (haha) out there who haven't noticed, ignore my previous sentence and without further ado, here's my monthly goal check-in post!

Knitting

1.  Do the heels on the Tulip Socks and one other pair that are WIPs negatory good buddy, this didn't happen.  I did however finish another two pairs of heel-less socks.  One of these day soon, I'll have to sit down with a glass of wine and just work on heel after heel after heel.  Granted, it will feel good to have a new pile of socks to wear!  
2.  Finish Shapely Boyfriend cardigan Done.  I'm actually wearing this as I type.  Complete with buttons sewn on and ends woven in!  This is a great basic pattern for a classic sweater, btw.  I highly recommend it.  I'll have to post a review at some point and show off my FO.
3.  Start the sleeves of M'Agitha sweater for Melissa   I finished one sleeve, so I guess I've technically completed this goal.  The sweater is currently hanging on my dress form in my yarn room, as a reminder to NOT start another sweater and finish this one instead. One factor that is holding me up on finishing this is that Melissa doesn't think she wants this sweater anymore - the cropped nature of it is...well...too cropped for her taste.  It's an alpaca blend, so it will stretch out particularly in length quite a bit.  I will wear it (great colour, great pattern, goes nicely with my sense of style and current wardrobe choices) but I'm currently working on another sweater that has more interest for me, so it's taken a bit of a back seat.
4.  Pick next socks project Done.  In fact, I've finished two pairs this past month, and I have another ball of yarn with me at work today to start my next sock project.

Sewing

1.  Finish Sew Over It Penny Dress  this is still hanging in my sewing room.  It needs buttons.  C'est tout (that is all).
2.  Sew a Jean Jacket Nope.  Haven't done this either, though I've been eyeing all the jean jacket patterns out there...
3.  Sew Chicago travel wardrobe I've made a ton of progress on this - which is good because I leave on early Sunday morning for this trip.

• jacket - shrunken boyfriend style, with faux suede collar and pocket flaps - the fabric for this one is constantly evolving since I've discovered that I don't have enough of the fabric for the coordinating narrow trousers.  I'm hoping for a herringbone wool of some type - it must coordinate with all my trousers and skirts. Done! I chose a brown and cream silk & wool suiting, with a brown faux suede collar.  I'll have to do a review - I used a Vogue Tamotsu designer pattern from the early 2000s that I slightly modified. Read more about Tamotsu here Actually, I finished two jackets, both of which would work with this wardrobe and my travel.
• drapey cardigan - mustard yellow crepe knit I haven't done this one yet, but know it will work really well with the wardrobe garments I have finished, so it's still on the list to complete.
• wide leg trousers - brown pinstripe wool Done!  I used a Burda magazine pattern (so many less fitting issues for me), and they're lovely.
• narrow legged trousers - navy ?? I've done a trial version of these in a poly/rayon blend gab and they turned out lovely! I made two pairs from another Burda magazine pattern - a lovely aubergine/eggplant version and a tiny houndtooth version in a beige and brown.  I'm still thinking I need a pair in navy and another one  grey for fall/winter.  Oh, I also have a great olive green that would work...
• pencil skirt - brown pinstripe wool I didn't finish this one, but I did finish two skirts, one that matches one of the aforementioned jackets, and another one in lightweight brown wool suiting that coordinates with both jackets.
• 6 gore skirt - brown Prince of Wales suiting I haven't gotten to this one yet, but still want to because the finished object I can see in my mind is amazing.
• Tilly and the Buttons Agnes tops
• mustard yellow crepe knit (long sleeves, ruching at centre front) finished in July 
• burgundy heathered jersey (puffed sleeve version) Finished in July 
• leopard print mesh knit with blue and cream (long sleeves, scoop neck) Finished in July 
• textured cream lightweight sweater knit (short sleeves, scoop neck) Finished in July 
• shirts 
• self drafted mustard yellow georgette Done!  This was a bear - it was going along swimmingly until I decided to trim some seams and hacked a giant hole in the middle of the outside back yoke right above the pleat.  I didn't have enough to recut the yoke either. Le Sigh.  I fudged it a bit, and managed to make it work.  It is a great working piece in this wardrobe.
• Sew Over It Alex in navy with white polka dots (previously sewn)
• self drafted black rayon challis with small floral print in barn red and mustard yellow Done - this is gorgeous.  The fabric is so fluid and goes so well with all sorts of existing clothes.  This was deep, deep stash.  Maybe 20 years old??  One of those pieces of fabric I just didn't want to cut into for fear of ruining it.  It turned out perfectly!
• self drafted snake skin print in shades of brown and cream Done, this has already become a staple for me, I've worn it a number of times in a number of different outfits!
• knit wrap dress - burgundy heathered jersey Done, in a morning I might add!  

I've also added a few other pieces to this wardrobe, including:

• shirt in olive green cotton shirting 
• shirt in barn red, mustard yellow, olive green print on cream background in cotton
• short sleeve blouse in brown silky with white circle print
• faux wrap dress in geometric print (navy, coral, olive) knit 
• cropped trousers in lightweight brown wool suiting 
• pleated front cropped trousers with pockets in brown and cream stripe
• sleeveless blouse in mustard yellow 
• sleeveless blouse in navy blue silk
• sleeveless sheath dress in navy blue lightweight wool suiting
• wide legged trousers in navy blue lightweight wool suiting

Wow!  Apparently, I've actually been really busy and productive with my sewing in August and September!  It's funny that I had to write out the list to see how productive I've been!

Reading

1.  Finish Dragon's Triangle by Christine Kling Done.  Good light-ish kind of read that's easy to read at the end of the day.  I've already started reading the third book in this trilogy.
2.  Finish People over Profit Bwahahaha.  I'm working my way through this.  It's not hard to read, but I only read it if I get to the office early, which hasn't been happening lately!
3.  Finish Inspired Destiny by Dr. John Demartini I'm working my way through this one too, but I really want to do the exercises to make it really effective, so that's making it take some time to get through. 
4.  Start Irish Meadows by Susan Anne Mason started and finished.  This book was so saccharine, and everything that could go wrong went wrong in such "it's going to be ok" way.  Blech.  Not believable and I don't recommend it.  Give me murder and mayhem any day...

Alright-y, October is going to be a super busy month at work with a number of trips in my future (locally in Ontario, but still away from home), so I'll try to be realistic about what I can accomplish.

Knitting

1.  Finish the heels in at least two pairs of socks.  Christmas is coming and these would make perfect gifts.
2.  Finish the Armande cardigan sweater I'm currently working.  It goes really well with my Chicago wardrobe mentioned above.  And who can resist being wrapped in Malabrigo Rios?!
3.  Make a list of Christmas gifts and start working on them. How's that for a specific goal? LOL  This will consist of slippers, socks, hats and mittens, but I have to figure out which patterns, which yarn and which recipients.
4. This is a spinning goal, but I'll include it here as it is yarn related.  I have two braids that I've spun for two separate coordinating two ply yarns that I'd like to finish plying.  These won't likely see any knitting action until the new year when all my Christmas knitting has been finished, but I've been using my spinning time as my meditation in the mornings lately.

Sewing/Wardrobe

1. Update my casual wardrobe for fall/winter

• go through my closet and toss/donate old, dated/aged or unworn items
• make a list of "holes" that need to be filled
• start sewing these holes
• I already know that one of them is a jean jacket
• another is casual pants
• and a hooded vest

2.  Decide on a winter coat pattern and pull fabric and notions from the stash
3.  Make a dress for work/office wear, wool crepe
4.  Make a pair of trousers for work/office wear, wool suiting

Reading

1. Finish reading The Highland Witch by Susan Fletcher. This is a historical fiction novel about a woman in Scotland in the late 1600s.  It is completely opposite of the saccharine book I read last month.  I'm finding it well written, very engaging and I'm totally absorbed into the story.  I highly recommend it so far!  You can find it here: The Highland Witch at Amazon.ca
2.  Finish reading Knight's Cross by Christine Kling, the third book in The Shipwreck Adventures trilogy I've enjoyed this series as well, easy to read yet enough believable plot twists to keep me interested
3.  Chose the next fiction book to read. 

There you have it.  I'd really like to catch you up on some of my finished objects mentioned above, but I've been spending my spare moments actually knitting and sewing instead of photographing and blogging.  I have a few cell phone photos that could work - I'll take a look over the next few weeks to see what I can do.  I also blog through my laptop, but have finally downloaded the app onto my iPad, so hopefully this will make it easier to post as well.  I really love reading what others are up to, and only hope I can provide similar inspiration.

September Goals Revisited

September didn't really feel much like September in my mind.  It certainly was a busy month - I rang it in by spending a weekend at a friend's cottage (which was amazing - kayaking, tubing, boating, dock sitting, reading at the lake, swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, and going to the fair with rides and cows and chickens and fair food!!).  September also saw me become an auntie again, re-certify for Ski Patrol (for my 13th season) with a day of examinations, host a sewing retreat weekend and travel to New Orleans for five days.  All this thrown in with my "regular" daily activities!

Add to that the fact that the majority of the month was still quite warm out (the daily highs were well above the average for this time of year), so it really didn't feel quite like fall - I'm not wearing my hand knit sweaters yet!  Still, the calendar says that September 2016 is coming to a close, which means it's time for my goals check-in.

My goals for September were:

Knitting

1. Finish the Asymmetrical Ribbed Vest I've been working on.  I feel like I might be playing a game of yarn chicken though, I will keep persevering to see what happens. Done!  My visualization of yarn chicken was realized, and I lost by A LOT.  Fortunately, I had something similar in my stash and while I know that it was finished with a different yarn, it's on the back portion of the vest and the yarn is very very close for not being the same.  I feel like it's a design feature!
2. Finish the Trillian shawl I'm working on in Misti Alpaca Pima Silk.  Love knitting this - its almost mindless, and perfect for the end of day knitting.  Done!  I absolutely love this cotton and silk scarf. The colours coordinate very well with my casual summer wardrobe.
3. Finish the Agatha sweater for Melissa.  Really.  Bwahahahaha...though it is currently sitting beside the chair I sit in in the yarn room, and mocks me every time I sit down.  I'm wondering if I can finish this for Christmas?!
4. Start and finish two pairs of plain vanilla Christmas socks as a present for one of the people on my list. I've started two pairs.  But I am nowhere near finishing either of them.  
5. Start and finish a baby sweater for Sara's baby. Nope.  I will have to get a few of these done, but Christmas knitting comes first.
6. Design and machine knit a black bulky weight cardigan for myself.  I did swatch for this.  I need a new handknit black sweater, so hopefully I can get to this, but it is currently on the backburner due to the Christmas knitting that has started.
7. Attempt to machine knit socks.  Nope.  See #6.  When time is at a premium, I can't mess around with trying out new things.  Maybe in January I'll revisit this...

Sewing

1. Finish The Big Easy SWAP 2016 for my trip to NOLA I did get a lot done on this, but as with all plans, it wasn't 100% realized the way I had originally thought.  I made some tweaks along the way to the planned patterns and edited a few fabrics, but am very happy with the result.  It worked really well as a travel wardrobe.  Despite sticking to carry-on, I brought a few too many clothes, but the temperature varies so much from inside to out, and the activities are always quite varied in New Orleans too (think boardroom to the bayou to Bourbon Street), so I had to be prepared for pretty much anything.  I'm thinking a post on the outcome would be a good idea.  
2. That's a pretty big goal, so I'll leave it at that  Can I just cross this off?  I'm obsessive about checklists and crossing things off feels really good. :)
3. Oh wait - I have some sports "tops" (aka bras, Jalie!) cut out - I need to finish these so I can kick up my exercise program (literally, cuz I like kickboxing!) Done!  Guess I should do a post on these too?!

Reading

1. Read The Bay of Sighs by Nora Roberts, which I've started already :) Done - super fast read.  Magic, werewolfs, warlocks, mermaids, time travel, and a bit of romance thrown into the mix.  I immediately pre-ordered the next book in this trilogy which is scheduled for a December release.
2. Finish Sales Bible by Jeffery Gitomer - I started this a million years ago, and would like to get back to reading a bit every morning before I start work. This book is currently sitting on my desk at work, staring at me every day.  I think it's more of a read a bit here and there to pick up some concepts type of book rather than a read straight through type of book.  I do read it regularly, and am learning a lot.  It also reinforces the power of positive thinking, which is a fantastic reminder whether you're in sales or not.
3. Find a trashy southern Louisiana-based historical romance to read.   Something preferably with vampires, voodoo and/or witches.  I'm looking for something gripping yet easy to read as an escape.  Any suggestions?  I listened to Nine Lives by Dan Baum. Definitely not a historical romance, but a really interesting story about nine people who live in New Orleans and a good look at life there, and a look at how Hurricane Katrina impacted their lives.  I also read The Collector by Nora Roberts - an easy read modern day detective/crime type romance novel, which was a good book for reading at night.

Goals for October

Knitting

1. Finish three pairs of socks for Christmas knitting.  I'll be travelling a lot for work and for pleasure in October, so these are great portable projects and I need to get them done!
2. Get at least one sleeve done in Melissa's Agatha sweater.
3. I totally got sidetracked in September from my knitting goals (I am a self professed magpie and love starting new projects) and started the Sugar Maple sweater.  You can see my Ravelry page here. I'm almost done this sweater and would like to finish this before the weather gets too cold.

Sewing

1. Sew the Mia Jeans from Sew Over It City Break e-book - I think this will be a great pair of casual pants and I'm really lacking in that department right now.  Plus hello, Sew Over It City Break.  Because I'm crushing hard on these patterns right now.
2. Sew a Jean Jacket  (maybe out of twill, not necessarily out of denim) - I need a semi-casual fall coat and this would fit the bill.  And go with my Mia Jeans.
3. Sew the Lola Coat from Sew Over It City Break e-book - I need a good fall coat that's a bit dressier for work.  Because, again, City Break!
4. Start planning my Christmas party dressing - pick a fabric from my stash and search for a pattern

Reading

Can I just mention here how much I am enjoying the goal of reading a bit of fiction as well as a bit of a self-improvement book each day?  I forgot how much I love the story telling/reading process. 

1. Continue reading The Success Principles by Jack Canfield - I'm currently working my way through this and it is changing the way I think for the better.  Can't wait to see where it leads.
2. Pick the next fiction book to read.  Another New Orleans based one perhaps?  Or maybe one based in Newfoundland since I'll be travelling there this month? 

July Goals Update

I'm really not quite sure where July went.

• I celebrated the July long weekend by knitting and sewing as much as possible
• I also finally mowed my back lawn
• My neighbours are happy
• So am I, it made a huge difference in how I feel about the back garden!
• I enjoyed a fair amount of wine that weekend too, in the name of relaxing
• I couldn't figure out why everyone was posting Tour de Fleece photos until I suddenly came to the realization it was really the first week of July!!
• Must have been the wine
• In one week, I drove to downtown Toronto (day 1), Owen Sound, Milton (day 2), Picton and Kingston (day 3), returning home each night.  
• That was the week of one of the heatwaves and I had a rental car with cooled seats
• The cooled seats felt weird but were definitely not hot!!
• I didn't want to give the rental back, but I didn't want to drive anymore
• I've been busy with launch parties for my home based business.  Three in one weekend. Whew!!
• I spent a week at the Haliburton School of the Arts learning to do all things associated with spinning
• We washed fleece, carded fleece, dyed fleece and spun yarn, and even played with the spinning wheels.
• Summer Camp for Adults.  It was Fabulous!!
• They have a Master Spinner program.  
• I might have to take it.
• Because I have nothing else to do
• I got a henna tattoo. 
• I like it so much I may have to get it for real.

Since it's already the end of July, I guess I should really take a look at what my goals were for this month, and how I did.

July Goals Wrap Up

Knitting

1. Finish Gravel Socks.  Done!  not in time for the KAL deadline, but whatevs.
2. Finish Coffee Run Socks Finished the first sock, but I'm pretty sure that was already before July.
3. Finish The Stunning Poncho.  Haven't even touched it.
4. Finish Agatha Sweater for Melissa  Again, haven't even touched it.
5. Start baby sweaters for shower gifts.  Sorta done.  Finished one sweater, haven't decided on the second one yet.
6. Start a sweater for Sara.  Nope.  Not started 
7. Start my annual summer Featherweight Sweater knit.  Yup, I cast on a sweater similar to the Featherweight for myself, and I'm working on the second sleeve.

Sewing

1. Finish the black and white print wrap dress, currently in progress   Done!  And I LOVE this dress!  I'll have to do a post on it.
2. Finish red cocktail dress (needs a zipper before final fitting and a hem).  Nope - I keep looking at it on the dress form and should just finish it.  It's starting to haunt me.
3. Finish the coral silky top for Sara.    Well...she's announced she's expecting (YAY!!! I'm gonna be a Gramma!!!), so this top no longer fits for the time being.  It's been put on the backburner.
4. Sew black trousers (already cut out)   Done!
5. Sew beige flowy wool crepe trousers (already cut out)   Done!
6. Sew beige slim tropical wool trousers (already cut out)   Done!
7. Draft, cut and sew a tunic top with gathers at the neckline.  I keep dreaming about this one, I should just get drafting!
8. Trace, cut and sew on Burda outfit (?jumpsuit or dress?)  Again...dreaming.
9. Sew short sleeve summer top Does this count if I made one and then donated it?  It was just horrible!  Serves me right for not making a mockup.

Reading

1. Finish People over Profit by Dale Partridge - over halfway through, but didn't want to read this on vacation :)
2. Read You are a Badass by Jen Sincero  Does the audiobook count?  I actually lent out my paper copy to a friend who is recovering from surgery but managed to get a copy of the audiobook through Hoopla.  After listening to it, I really want to read the paper copy again - it was THAT good!!  I've started listening to it again as well.
3. Finish the novel on my bedside table (!)  Done!  Spoiler Alert! The world was saved from terrorists by Jake Grafton.  Again.  Who would have thunk it?!
4. Choose and start the next novel Done - currently reading The Three Sisters Bar & Hotel by Katherine Govier. Its a bit tough to get into at first, but I'm really starting to enjoy the character development.  It takes place in Banff, where I visited this past spring, and where my brother lives.  I'm planning on passing the book along to him when I'm done with it.

Goals for August

Knitting

1. Finish Coffee Run socks
2. Finish Agatha sweater for Melissa (her birthday is August 18, so I need to get on this!)
3. Finish my lightweight cardigan 
4. Start a baby sweater for Sara's baby 
5. Make my list for Christmas gift knitting and pick one project to get started on

Sewing 

1. Finish the red cocktail dress.  I'm just going to keep putting it here until it's done.  Maybe I'll be ready for the Christmas party season with it?!
2. Draft, cut and sew a tunic top with gathers at the neckline. I have amazing fabric for this that should really get me inspired to do this!
3. Sew a summer style jumpsuit (Closet Case Files Sallie maybe?!)
4. Sew a summer dress, wrap style from the same pattern as my black and white print dress?

Reading

1. Finish reading People over Profit
2. Finish reading The Three Sisters Bar & Hotel (this won't be a problem, I'm using this as a reason to go to bed early and read!)
3. Start reading Book Yourself Solid (for work and my own business)
4. Pick the next fiction book to read