Ugh.

Yeah, I'm a big talker.

Anyway. I love plaid. Love it. I also love pleats. This is a serious problem, because I hate matching plaids when I'm cutting things out. I have this great (ugly to some) plaid wool (actually I have three different wools) that I want to make skirts with and I love pleated plaid skirts and I put off cutting anything out because matching plaids is so annoying to me. And, once they're matched perfectly and being sewn, I remember that I don't have a walking foot or one with those little rollers on it, and even though we have great differential feed on this machine, the plaids nearly always come out just a fraction of an inch off. I'm talking MAYBE 1/16 of an inch. Enough to annoy me.

*sigh* I'm cursed, I tell you! Cursed!

2009

You know, I didn't get a lot of sewing done over the holidays. I'm a little disappointed in myself, but I'm glad I spent time with family and friends instead of locking myself in the sewing room for 10 hours a day. I'm trying to come up with realistic goals for this year--I had previously thought about doing a project a week, but then I realized that I'll probably have a lot on my plate this year and don't want to cause even more stress by trying for the nearly impossible. I think, instead, that I'll go for a project a month. That seems easier to accomplish, right? Yes.

I've decided as well that I want to improve my knitting skills enough to make a sweater by Christmas. This means that I'll need to practice, and practicing entails lots of scarves, washcloths, hats, etc. Because I really don't have room for a lot of stuff right now (seeing as how I don't have a house or apartment), I'll probably be giving stuff to people. If you like a project I'm doing (and I'll post progress photos), let me know and I'll send it to you. I love knitting and crocheting, but I'm realistic enough to know that I can't keep everything...so I might as well give it to someone who can use it!

Next up for the knitting: washcloths. Lots of them. I can get probably 3 washcloths out of one "super size" skein of Sugar n Cream yarn (I have a weird fondness for variegated things), and I have purchased something like 8 skeins lately. Before you scoff, I will tell you right now that knitted washcloths last forever--I found a pattern by a woman who says her knitted cloths have lasted 10 years--and are very absorbent. I made a test one for my mom and she's quite pleased. Pleased enough to want to find crochet cloth patterns and make them for her sisters. My sister wants me to make her several of them in red and bright green, and I'm happy to comply. If you want to try one, let me know and I'll throw one on the needles!

I'm still working on my sampler scarf, and I plan to knit a blue wool scarf in a "divided squares" pattern--the squares are divided diagonally in a half-knit, half-purl pattern and it's quite nice. I chose a solid almost-Williamsburg blue wool for this and I'm excited to see how it turns out.

I'm just about done crocheting a black boucle scarf. It's the same triple-crochet I did for Laresa's afghan and it's a nice lacy effect when you use a size N hook on a thinner yarn. That should be done this weekend. I have a bridal shower tomorrow but when I get home from that, I'm cutting out pajamas and skirts and I hope to sew a skirt and a dress before church on Sunday.

Happy New Year!