Stash Goals 2016

We've made it  to April. A time of year when some have abandoned the "resolutions" they made back in January. If you are a regular reader, you know I don't like the whole New Year Resolution deal. I just like setting goals, because you can do that any time and adjust them and be successful with them.

As I had a few days home over the winter break, I once again was frustrated and overwhelmed with the amount of stash I have. I have been trying, quite unsuccessfully, to reduce my stash. Fabric to zero if possible. And yarn by.... a lot. It would free up an astonishing amount of space in our apartment. (We've also been going through things and have a sizable donate pile.)

In order to reach a goal, you have to have a plan in place though. Here's THE PLAN.

Yarn
Overall Goal: Use 3 balls of yarn for every 1 ball acquired   Revised (already): Move more skeins out of stash than I acquire. So far, I'm not doing so great at it, but have a game plan.

The Plan:
1.  Find one skein projects, such as baby sweaters (for the Etsy shop and to have handy for baby showers), and use up all the single skein sock yarns I have.

2. The Box: I have a box. I've filled it with dishcloth cotton to start with. The goal is to use up all the yarn in the box without acquiring more of the same kind of yarn.

3. Make all those sweaters for myself I've been planning and buying yarn for.


Fabric:
Overall Goal: No more stash. Buy fabric as needed only.

The Plan:
1. Finish all the partially done projects hanging out in the closet, and basket. Yes, there is a basket for sewing projects as well.

2. Make the clothes I had planned for myself.

3. Use pattern books to find suitable patterns for the fabric I have. Again, probably baby stuff for the Etsy shop and baby showers. (I know a few lot of pregnant folks, it's that season of my life.)

4. Do not buy fabric. Ha! Revising to a 100 day no buying streak (like last year)

5. Sew every day. Just 15 minutes a day will add up to 7+ hours a month. And on weekends, once I get going I usually end up sewing a lot longer than 15 minutes.

100 Days of Sewing- Sort of

So, awhile back I decided to sew every day for 100 days straight. And I almost made it.

You see, I started in the summer when things weren't as crazy as they could have been, so I did awesome. Then, two weeks ago, I started a new job. New job, new hours, new responsibilities. It was a bit overwhelming (and still is). On the night of day 72, I crawled into bed exhausted. As I drifted off to sleep I realized that I hadn't sewn that day. At all. Had this been a few months ago during school and all that, I would have dragged myself out of bed and sewn a seam, lost sleep would have been no big deal.

But I just couldn't. I was waaaaaay too tired, and stressed, and worried about being late to work and falling asleep in training, and all that stuff that could make the new bosses not look too kindly on me. I decided it was okay to take a break, and it's been a couple of weeks now.

Today is day 50 of no buying yarn (minus ones needed for a custom order placed). 50 Days! . And it's day 31 of no fabric. I'm on a roll! So I decided to go ahead and take advantage of the streak and start 100 Days of sewing again. I'm sure I can make it, no problem. I've got quilt blocks, quilts, a skirt, and an alteration already lined up to be done. Not to mention the giant box of stash that needs to be used too!

Here's a look at what all got finished-finished in the first round of 71 days:
(Not pictured, yet, a vest for myself and a bean bag that I will be posting on in the near future)

New Years Resolution Motivation

As we enter week three of the New Year, some of you may have already fallen off the resolution bandwagon. However, remember: Just be a little better than you were yesterday. You can start over, each week and day is a new start. And remember, this is YOUR life, not someone else's. Be sure to focus on you and you will become the person you need to become.

Progress

Hey, you see that little widget to the right of this post? Yeah, that one about the knitting. See that big number?

Yeah, that 10,000+ number. That means that I've knit over 6 miles of yarn this year. While it's only about half of my initial goal of 13 miles, it's still quite the accomplishment. I've never kept track of how much I've knit in a year before. It's kind of cool to see what I've done even if I don't have pictures of every project I've done.

I'm hoping to get another mile or so done before the New Year. And with classes done for the semester, a couple of long plane rides, and two weeks of 'vacation' between me and the New Year, I think I have a decent chance of getting them in.

I will post a picture montage of projects done this year, once the year is over, with the official count of yards/miles knit. Then, new goals will be set and we'll journey into a New Year full of potential, adventure, and probably some frustrations when it comes to knitting projects (among other things.)

Just wanted to celebrate a bit early, ya know?

 

Goals are not a January 1st kind of thing. Set them weekly. Set them monthly. Set them so that you are moving forward and always trying to progress. Life can grow stagnant without them… beware.

 Hannah B. 

25 Things Every Woman Needs to Know 

In which we reach September

So, I've obviously been neglecting my blog. A lot, my life got busy enough for me to not even think about blogging.

As for the goal for the year, the knitting one,  well, it's only about 30% done.

 However, another goal for the year (see that tab at the top labeled "books"?) I'm way ahead. Unbelievably so, and it's great. I've never kept track of what I've read before and it's pretty neat to see how much I've done.

Of course, I was the type of child who thought it would be fun to have a 'read-a-thon' with my friends during summer break. I often pull out a quilt and lie in the yard with a good book. I just love reading.

I would post some pictures of what I've been knitting lately, but alas, they are all gifts and not to be seen until the recipient gets them. Some will have to wait until December. But, armed with finally being settled in my new town, and wanting to start selling again, I should hopefully get at least 50% of the goal done by the end of the year. I think I will at least....

Charity Knits

A sub-goal of my Goal for the Year of knitting 13 miles worth of yarn, is to knit 13 items for charity. I am nearly done with my first, a sweater for the charity Afghans for Afghans. I was contemplating this at church today as we talked about the Law of Consecration, and wondering how in the world I would be able to meet this sub-goal.

It's the fourth month of the year, I should be 25% done with my goal, meaning 5720 yards knit. I'm at 3969, only 17.34% done. Technically I should have already knit 3.25 charity items. I'm finishing up my first.

So, my question is this, how do I reach my goals? Will I have to revise them?

I think I have a solution, and want to know what you all think.

Would it 'count' as a charity knit if I make something that cannot be donated, but I sell the item and then donate the money I make from the sale to a charity? Does that count? I think it might.

Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas or suggestions on how I can reach both of these goals :)

February Update (in March)

So here's a couple of pictures of items that have been added to the over all count. The first is a market bag made from one of the skeins of yarn I bought in Copenhagen almost three years ago. The second picture are items made for Swaps on Ravelry. So I had to wait to post the pictures. (There will be several of these types of items this year, I want to take part in 13 Swaps). It's a pair of legwarmers and a Ballband dishcloth, as found in Mason Dixon Knitting.

I also have several projects on the needles right now. I've completed two squares for my big blanket project, am halfway done with Little Sister's Dress, and have some socks and a hat that are sitting in the corner gathering dust. But I'm making progress. I really am.

From A Girl who Wants Farm

Goal: 13 Miles

Earlier I posted my "Goal for the Year" to knit 13 miles of yarn. 13 miles because it's 2013. Get it? Get it?
Well, I though maybe I'd share with you all some of the ways I will get to that goal. (Also, over on the sidebar there's a little widget that tells you how much I've knit so far for the year.)

First some baby sweaters:

Little Sister's Dress  

Milo
I already have the yarn (olive green and dark blue) for both of these, as well as tentative recipients in mind. But am open to make them for someone who really really wants them...

A sweater or two for myself:

Chaste Sanna

Tourist Sweater
Both of these were gifted to me by fellow Ravelers. (If you knit and have not discovered Ravelry, go there, now.) I haven't decided on colors yet, I personally tend to gravitate toward grays and blues.

If I get really ambitious and brave I will attempt a beaded shawl:

UnsinkableAgain, made possible by the gift of beads from a fellow Raveler. (Yes, this pattern isn't beaded, but it 'spoke' to me. If you knit, or quilt, or sew, you get what I mean.)

And finally, since I've had some good success with ambitious blankets in the past, I have decided to knit at least 13 squares from the The Great North American Afghan.

There are multiple versions of this afghan from different years of publication, I have two of them so that should give me at least 13 squares that I like enough to knit up. I also plan to do this in black, hot pink, and gray (white if I can't find any gray).

And of course, since it's me, I'll be knitting plenty of socks. In fact, I joined the 13 Socks in 2013 group over on Ravelry. Let's be honest here, it's an addiction. I already have yarn for three pairs, plus baby size ones from the scraps. I might as well make it official.