January for me has always been a time to reflect on last year and to think about the coming year. I don’t necessarily make resolutions, but I think about what I want to accomplish in the next year and how to work towards it.
Last year I wanted to work on my brioche skills, and I definitely did that. There was a lot of brioche last year, and I love it. I still have a couple of WIPs sitting from last year, and they’re definitely on the list to finish.
This year I’m thinking about working on stranded knitting (especially in socks) which I haven’t really done much of before. Come to think of it, I’ve done lace in socks, I’ve done contrasting heel/toe, but never really did stranded knitting. Knowing that I wanted to do that, I started a pair of Valentine’s Heart Socks from Alissa Barton right after I finished my Christmas knitting. These will be my Mom’s Valentine’s gift. She loves knitted socks. So knit her socks, I will.
Another thing I want to work on is getting better at lace knitting. I’ve done a bunch of lace, but it really makes me anxious. I love love LOVE the beautiful lace projects I’ve seen, but I also think about the utility of them (for me). I shawl for warmth, not just for going out and showing off a “pretty” (when do I ever go out? LoL). So super lacy projects really just aren’t useful for me. And I feel like utility influences my motivation – if I’m not going to use it, it may get STARTED but finished?? Meehhhhhh. When I’m gift knitting, I tend to think along the same way – utility. So for my first lace knitting project I’m working on Dreamy Valentine by Ambah O’Brien for another fun Valentine’s gift.
What are your goals for this year? Do you have a favorite stranded knitting sock pattern to share with me? Or a lace shawl idea? I love to see people’s suggestions!
XO,
Liz
