Are you a list maker? I certainly am. Lists help me navigate through life, but I need to be careful that they don’t take over. It’s all about finding the right balance between getting things done and being realistic and gentle. For 2023, I wrote this wish list in my knitting notebook:
- Norwegian knitting
- Making things for our grandson
- Knitting challenging socks
- Designing
Some categories received more time and attention than others, and that’s fine. It wasn’t a have-to-do list after all, but a wish list. The list helped me bring some focus to my knitting.
For 2024 I’m recycling this list – keeping, adding, removing and modifying a few things. For the year ahead, my would-like-to-do list is:
- Norwegian knitting
- Make everyday things for my family and myself
- Be a little more creative
- Be generous with my knitting
The ‘be a little more creative’ item is still a big question mark. For the rest, my knitting baskets are filling up, with some Norwegian knitting…
…everyday knitting…
…and knitting for a community project:
More about the contents of these baskets over the coming weeks.
The poncho I’ve just finished definitely belongs in the ‘everyday knits’ category. It’ll be a nice and warm extra layer indoors in winter and an easy-to-throw-on outdoor item for the rest of the year.
It’s a simple rectangle that makes an asymmetrical poncho and starts with a crochet provisional cast-on. I was going to take pictures and talk about the how and why of that but forgot. I did take a quick picture of the blocking stage, but that doesn’t tell us much except that I blocked it:
I’ll try to do better with recording the process this year.
After seaming part of one side, stitches are picked up for a wonderfully cosy knit-in-the-round ribbed cowl. All in all, a lovely soft, simple, soothing project.
Well, I’m off to do a few things that will never belong on any would-like-to-do list but just need to get done – that’s life. I’ll reward myself with a few rows of knitting afterwards.
Have a lovely weekend!
PS The Easy Folded Poncho can be found here on Ravelry, and the ribbed cowl adaptation here on the designer’s website. The yarn I used is Rowan’s Fine Tweed Haze in shade ‘Deep’, a dark tealy blue with tweed nepps in pink, orange and white (the first photo captures the colour best). If you’re going to use this yarn, do swatch! I’m a fairly average knitter but needed to go down several needle sizes to get the gauge specified by both manufacturer and pattern designer.
Wat een mooie poncho! Een extra laagje is geen overbodige luxe ‘now-a-days’!
Zo lekker warm, dit extra laagje, en ook licht en zacht. Komende week weer wind en regen, helaas, maar toch iedere dag erop uit met of zonder hond.
Beautiful yarns and knitting by your gifted hands! Happy new year to you as you ponder your intentions for 2024.
Thank you! It’s so nice to have you dropping by from week to week. What are you making?
Interesting you should ask – Arne and Carlos, made me believe that I could create a Norweigan advent stocking by knitting 6 rows a day starting December 1st and ending on December 24th. It was so engrossing, that I fell down into the Fair Isle and stranded Colour Work world. Don’t laugh, I have made a goal with myself – finish a wip and then make something with a stranded pattern. What a wonderful world to get lost in. I love that you are gathering “supplies” for some Norwegian knitting.
That all sounds lovely. The possibilities of stranded knitting are endless, and working with multiple colours somehow is so uplifting. Finishing a wip and using stranded knitting as a treat afterwards sounds like a great idea.