January 5, 2020 – Mr Knitter

My Instagram account is ram-packed with dogs and knitting, and yesterday in the feed there was a post by Fiber Hustle advertising their latest podcast/videocast. Now YouTube is not a place I frequent that much and as for video podcasts, they are a hidden world really. However, for some reason, I felt I needed to watch. Luckily enough we can “throw” videos from youtube to any or our TV’s, which is a little more viewer-friendly than using a phone or tablet. This was the first time I have watched their “show”, and although it is not slick or like some of the ones I have seen in the past I felt I needed to watch it all the way, 1 hour 3 minute. The hosts Aaron & Chip are quite entertaining and you can see they have a passion for their crafts. Aaron announced that he would be doing a KAL, and I thought to myself ‘I’m joining in’.

The pattern is Paris Toujours by Isabell Kraemer which is a really nice Shawl/wrap. I had looked for yarn and found some beautiful ones in merino, but at £15 a skein and it requires 3, I thought better of it and decided to go for a more economical yarn. I doubt it will be an item that I wear, so the cheaper yarn is more favourable. If after I have made it I think I would wear it as a scarf then I will order the expensive yarn and make another one. The project doesn’t start until 18th January, and it finishes on 15th February, M’s Birthday. We are away in Prague from 9th to early hours 12th Feb, and I thought it would be fun to have it finished for the trip and take it with us and do a photoshoot with it which could be fun.

I have bought two different yarns, the first one is Hayfield “Spirit” at £5 a ball, which is a new one for me. I have used Hayfield in the past and it is a nice yarn to work with. This one is 80% Acrylic with 20% wool. Very soft and 345m per 100g ball. The second yarn is 100% Acrylic and is the Woman’s Institute Premium yarn at £1.15 a ball with 250m per 100g ball.

Hayfield Spirit Double Knit Yarn (80% Acrylic 20% Wool)

Woman’s Institue Premium Acrylic Yarn Double Knit

© mariakos – This is a photo of the finished item C/O Ravelry

As can be seen in the last photo (credit Mariakos on Ravelry). It is quite a masculine piece and I am looking forward to wearing mine in Prague.

A new year means the usual crap resolutions, and I totally agree with Bianca Del Rio.

I am not good with resolutions, never have been as I tend to break them quite fast, however, I find that if I challenge myself then there is a goal to work to, like my Goodreads challenge of x amount of books read in a year.

So, my challenges are as follows, and yes a little general, but hell, it’s not like it really matters.

Read 30 books
Reduce refined sugar consumption
Walk a few kilometres each day with the dog and work up to something like climbing Mount Snowdon
Knit more, and finish all the projects that I have put on hold.
Do a few KAL’s (for those who don’t know KAL=Knit along)
Blog at least once a week, otherwise why am I paying for this site?
Lose two and a half stone (35lb)
Not eat fast food for 2020 (that may be hard)
Get back into writing to my penpals
Take M out more on days out
Get back into meditating

Things I need to do are more personal, being more patient with M, doing more about the house to save him from doing it, and make a bit more healthier meals. Not that my food is unhealthy, however, we do like bad food as it tastes so good.

I am sure that there are more thing that I should have on my list, but I will wing it for now and add things on as I go along. Again, these are challenges that I am more likely to do rather than an irrational list of impossible changes.