2012 FOs

I haven't done a FO post in the last few months, so here we go!

Everlasting Bagstopper #4, made with KP Cotlin (the tan) and Hobby Lobby's "I Love This Cotton!". I made this for myself because my bagstopper #1 broke on a camping trip this Spring.

Nalu Mitts #2, made with KP Sugarbunny yarn in platinum. I bought this yarn just to try it before it went away, and it's so lovely that I'm sad I didn't buy more. The mitts are a little longer than the pattern calls for, and I used almost the entire skein.

Vanilla Latte Socks, made with Kroy Sock Stripes in Bronzed Berry for my BF's mom for Christmas! She hasn't seen these yet, and I'm very excited to give them to her.

Mock Cable Boot Cuffs, made from Lamb's Pride in Spruce. This is an improvised pattern that I made up for my friend Lanny.

Dashing, made with Cleckheaton Country 12-ply in blue, for the BF. I had started this pattern years ago, making gloves for an ex-roommate and friend of mine. But a week or two after I started on them, my friend died of a drug overdose and I frogged the project. I made these for the BF after debating for a long time, and am glad I did. If I make them again at some point, I would use a thumb gusset, as the afterthought thumb felt weird to me. BF loves them and wears them every day though, so clearly he didn't mind much.

Hat Fit for a Boyfriend, made mainly with Olive Wool-Ease, but also used up some other washable wool/acrylic scraps for the stripes. This was made for a local homeless charity drive.

And last but certainly not least.. the biggest project I completed this year... Pendulum, my first real shawl, made with Cascade Heritage Silk in Marine and Lemon. This is a Christmas gift for one of my close friends, and is purposefully done in Harry Potter Ravenclaw colors, as she is a huge HP nerd. It measures almost 6 feet from tip to tip and took every last inch of the blue color (in fact I had to tick back a row to get enough yardage for the BO row). I am really happy with this FO and proud of my work. And the end result? She loves it!

I have another pair of Husbeast socks OTN right now that I expect to be done in the next few days, and will update with pictures when I have them. Using Wool-Ease, as I want these to be thick and warm for Minnesota winters (they're a gift for the BFF). WIP shot:

2013 Planning

I've been thinking a lot about 2013. I've been running into an issue lately with matching my yarns with my patterns and this leads to terrible indecisiveness. Additionally, as time goes on, the yarn I have is stuff that I really love and want to "honor" by picking THE BEST pattern for it. Ugh. I need to break out of this mindset and have been thinking about different ways to do so, without boring myself. What seems to work well is picking monthly goals in advance, somewhere between 2-3 projects (depending on size), and then not second guessing myself. I'm going to try to do this more often in 2013.

That being said, these are the goals I'd like to accomplish at some point in 2013:

-BFF socks - Owlie pattern has already been picked out, but need to buy/find yarn suitable for these. Also need to buy seed beads for the eyes.
-Mindy socks - Yarn??? Pattern??? I can't decide yet.
-BF socks - plain pattern, self striping yarn. He has one pair already and wears them almost everyday, so clearly he needs another (few) pair.
-Baby stuff - 6-8 month old socks/sweaters/hats. I have several friends giving birth this year and want to have a stash of gender-neutral gifts.
-Finish my ONE WIP - French Press Slippers: still waiting on re-felting. I thought my house water issues would be resolved weeks ago, but now we are in a standoff and have no idea when I'll be able to refelt these. I guess I could try doing it by hand, but lord...

Specifically in January I want to do:
-Sock KAL with the Stash Knit Down Group from Ravelry. The two patterns available that I like are Owlie and Monkey. Owlie I wanted to already do, and Monkey has been on my todo list forever. I haven't decided which pattern or yarn yet.
-One baby item. I have 5-6 queued, but need to actually sit down and decide what I want to do. I think this will be a great way to use up some left overs from all my socks.
-Felted Christmas trees. I want to create these for a Christmas gift next year, and given my track record with felting, it will be good to get a head start.

February:
-BF socks - self striping/vanilla latte socks?
-One baby item

I want to update soon with a FO post as well. I've gotten a LOT of stuff done in the last few months and pictures need to be posted. :)