One of the things that makes the end of the year even crazier, as if getting Christmas knitting finished isn’t enough, is the planning for the next year. I have two separate lists…maybe three…that are going for next year. First is the personal knitting. There are things I want to make in my free time, and I tend to set some goals there. Second is my business knitting. It’s good to get a few things planned out, so I can hit the ground running. The maybe third is a gift list. I like to get a running list of gifts that I want to make for people this year. That can be for Christmas, birthdays, or just surprises. For example, I have plans for making socks for a couple folks next year.

To start the year I have plans for a log cabin style blanket. It is already mapped out, and I’ll be starting it after the holidays are done. The pattern is mapped out, but I still need to do my gauge swatch to see what I need for stitches and things. I also haven’t quite decided on needle size. I do, however, have the yarn!

This is a pile of Brava Worsted from Knit Picks. There are 4 colors here, and I have a fifth down in the craft room that is all set to go. I also have a couple skeins of Cloud Alpaca in there (also Knit Picks), for a cowl that is not planned out yet. The needles are for socks, because I am always short on the 2.25mm and 2.5mm needles. hehe For now, I am off to get some work done on this scarf for the Celtic Cable Scarf/Cowl pattern that I really need to get out by year end this year. 😀 I am about 1/3 of the way through, but I keep getting distracted by other things. I’m so terrible for that this time of the year anyway.

Thanks for reading!

As you can imagine, projects can cover a wide gambit of topics. For me, it’s usually knitting related, but I am a general crafter, so I also do ceramics painting, wood working, crochetting, needlepoint, etc etc. I also do work around the house. J and I decided this past summer that we would do some renovations around the house. The first step was getting a contractor in for the big stuff that we just didn’t have the time for. That meant the contractor would take care of the kitchen and master bathroom.  We did the design for both, and they carried out the vision….with my overseeing and ever watchful eye. Those projects took way long than they should have, and here we are 2 months after the actual work completion, and the contractor has not collected his final payments on those jobs yet.I might regret using a contractor just a bit. sigh Oh well. Anyway, the rooms turned out really nice. We are really in love with our master bath. I can’t get it into a single picture, though, so here it is:

As for the kitchen, it now has function and flow, which it was lacking before. We added the peninsula to give extra storage, and a place to use for baking. It has been awesome! (Just ignore all the papers and junk collecting on it right now. lol I’ll be cleaning later today. The pics are pre-junk, so we’re good. hehe)

We are apparently gluttons for punishment, because at the end of November we decided it was time to tackle the remaining two bedrooms upstairs. We knew it would be a lot of work, but we were up to it. We set aside two weeks to tear up the carpet and padding, and all the staples and tack strips. Then we had to put down new plywood on the sub floor. Of course, all the baseboards had to come up as well, seeing as how the building installed them right on the sub floor. facepalm From there it was all about drywall repairs and painting. The rooms turned out fantastic! I don’t have pics of J’s office, but it looks really good. I do have pics of the other room, which is now the Studio. We can use it for anything artistic, so it has computers, art supplies, ceramics, etc. We finished on the 13th of December with the electrician coming in to install an outlet and the ceiling fans, so we could get the furniture for the rooms built and installed.

My work space:

J’s work space:

Since these pictures were taken, we installed lights on the wall above each desk for better lighting. The ceiling fans have a single edison bulb, which gives a soft light, but not near enough to work by.

I have already used the space to do some design planning. Before the end of the year, I will be making a post of what is coming up for 2018. I’m still planning it all out a bit, and trying to decide on my main goal, but I do have a design started that will be following next years theme, which is color. I wanted something large for a theme to keep it being something I could be inspired by. Color will include anything and everything. The current design is a log cabin style blanket. I also have thoughts of a double knit project and fair isle projects or other color work. It will be a colorful 2018!

Yes, I have finished my Christmas knitting. Now, before you get jealous, I will put in the explanation that I really only made two gifts. I seriously limited what I am knitting for people. I have a gift for each of my parents, and that is it. 😀 I do have a WIP that I am working on for J that is partly done, but it’s not a Christmas present, since he knows I’m doing it.

With that being said, I finished a scarf for myself. I decided to try Tunisian Crochet, and see what it was like. I picked up some Tunisian needles and found myself a pattern on Ravelry. I ended up choosing the Tunisian Resolution Scarf. It’s a fantastic pattern! It is just complicated enough to keep my attention, yet describes everything with pictures, so that even a beginner will understand. So, back and forth I went until it was super long….like down to my knees long. I love it. I did the basic width that the pattern described, since it doesn’t get all that cold down here for me. But it’s also long enough that I can wrap it around my neck twice and it’s still a good length.

Other than that, I am working on one of my designs that will be coming soon. It’s a cabled cowl/scarf. It has been tested, but I need scarf pics, so I am plugging away at finishing that. Also, I’m working on my double knit blanket still. This is the Grand Quest Blanket, which I got through the compilation. It’s fabulous! Here are some of my squares so far:

This is only two of the squares. There will be 20 total, and they are fully reversible. I love them! It goes with the same group of patterns as the scarf I finished ages ago:

Now that I have updated what is going on with my projects, it’s time to get back to working on them! Thanks for reading!