What I'm Making: January

Nervous energy may or may not be a good thing. I'm job hunting right now, after getting news that my boss at one of my jobs is getting ready to retire. Handing out resumes is stressful, and I've been busy knitting every evening.

I'm playing around with an idea (probably brought on by stress). Whether anything will come from it remains to be seen, but I'm thinking of starting an Etsy shop to sell my knitting. It's going to be a while - I have to build up my stock, come up with a name, and do quite a bit of prep work - but it's something I'm looking at pretty seriously.

I made my first coffee cozy this week. I love this simple pattern! It knits up quickly, and it's just so cute. I've already started a second cozy. This is something I'd love to carry in my shop.

My boys want me to make blankets for them, but I'm a little nervous about biting off such a big project. I found a great pattern on Ravelry, though. It's a block blanket, with a different pattern for each block. I'm making one for myself first, as a test pattern. If all goes well, I'll make one for each of my boys when I'm done. Here's where I'm at on the first square:

I'm working on a dishcloth, too. This ridge and rib pattern is my favorite for dishcloths so far. Again, I think these would be great for a shop. I've already made several for myself and some for family, too. When it's finished, it will look like this:

My Project Life app is seeing a lot of action, too. My goal is to create one page per week. Not necessarily big events, but just the little pieces of everyday life that are too easily overlooked and forgotten.

Most exciting of all - I spent this week editing my next short story, which will appear in the March crime-themed issue of Splickety Prime magazine. I'm really excited about this story. It's nothing like my first two - sweet stories that tugged at the heartstrings. This one is dark, full of twists, and the style I really want to write. Now that my short story is done, I'm diving back into edits on my novel this weekend. It's hard to believe I'm polishing it and getting it ready for beta readers, then agents. It still feels like a dream.

What are you making right now? 

Why I Learned to Knit

When I was little, I had a red and white blanket that I loved. My great-aunt Linda, who lived two houses down and across the street, made it for me when I was a baby. I cuddled under that blanket when I was sick, while I watched Saturday morning cartoons, while I read, and countless other times over the years, until the blanket was worn and shredding. 

I loved our trips to Linda's house. My grandma and I would walk to her house at least once a week, usually much more. I was always fascinated by her house. I loved the wall of bookshelves in her living room and the basket of knitting she kept by her chair. She often sent me home with dusty books books to read, books her own children had read when they were young. I sometimes wondered if I could learn to knit, too. But Linda's health declined over the years, and she died when I was twelve. I never asked her to teach me.

As an adult, I tried to learn a couple of times, but I never got beyond a knit stitch. I couldn't even figure out how to purl. Last year, a couple of writing friends, both around my age, started knitting. Their projects started popping up in my Facebook and Instagram feeds. I was fascinated. They were making beautiful projects - scarves, socks, boot cuffs, dishcloths, and more. 

Knitting was on my mind in September, when my family met my sister-in-law and her family for vacation at a condo in Orange Beach, Alabama. My sweet sister-in-law Vanessa bought a copy of a Friday Night Knitter's Club novel for me. I started reading by the pool, stretched out in the warm Alabama sunshine. Reading about knitting, how it brought friends together, and the joy of creating something beautiful was the push I needed. 

When we got home, I found some free beginner dishcloth patterns and printable knittning instructions. I picked up a set of size 8 needles at Walmart for less than $3 and dug out a ball of yarn, discarded in my closet from a previous attempt to learn. Sitting in my car on a long lunch break, I cast on some stitches and started knitting swatches.

Starting my first real pattern was scary. I'm a perfectionist. What if I messed up? What if it looked awful? I decided to use scrap yarn and make a "practice" pattern first. I did mess up...this was supposed to be a striped pattern. Not sure how I turned it into a chevron. Still, I finished, and it gave me confidence.

My first "real" project, a simple basketweave pattern, turned out much better. I made more dishcloths. I turned to YouTube to learn techniques that didn't make sense written out on paper - the long-tail cast on, yarn overs, slipping stitches and passing stitches over.

I made even more dishcloths. My family asked if I was ever going to make something besides dishcloths. So I made a boot cuff. Which didn't fit. (I have really big calves. It's even hard to find tall boots that fit over them.)

I have a growing queue of projects filed away for this year - scarves, bigger boot cuffs, blankets, socks (although that's pretty intimidating - that may have to wait). I'm addicted. 

People ask me often what made me decide to learn. My memories of my great-aunt Linda were probably the main reason. I wish I could tell her that I finally learned to knit because she inspired me. One day I'll get the chance. I also started to realize that making things by hand is a lost art. In a world where everything is instant and disposable, I love the idea of making something by hand, something with a story a memories behind it - like Linda's blanket. Finally, it's just so relaxing. Knitting is so soothing - the steady rhythm of working the needles calms me down after a stressful day.

Are there any other knitters out there? I'd love to connect with you on Instagram! That's where I share most of my knitting projects and mishaps.

Goals for the New Year

I tend to be a classic overachiever. I start the day with huge dreams and goals, but I massively overestimate what I can get done, fail miserably, and end the day feeling worn out and disappointed in myself. I tend to do the same thing with New Year's resolutions, so a few years ago, I quit making them.

I do have goals and dreams for the year, though. I don't necessarily start off the year working on all of them, but I want to start on them at some point during the year. This year, my plan is to focus week by week. I bought a purse-sized weekly planner that will be my command center. I'm using it to plan my weeks and track my progress. I hope that by breaking things down into smaller pieces, I won't get overwhelmed, and by looking at life weekly, instead of day by day, I can set more realistic timeframes to get things done.

Here's what I really want to do in 2015:

1. Start reading studying through the Bible, one chapter a day.
Last year started off strong for my Bible study time, but fizzled when summer and a major church renovation project hit, leaving me exhausted. I've tried methods, studies, apps, books, planning and scheduling. But all I really need is to focus on God. In 2015, I want to declutter and simplify my Bible study time. I want to get back to what I love - inductive study - and focus on one chapter a day, leaving enough margin for journaling, scripture memory, prayer, and "grace days." I'll post on Instagram to keep myself accountable.

2. Declutter my house by following a weekly schedule. (found HERE)

3. Run more 5K's. 
My oldest son and I have have two chosen: March and June. We also want to run some in the fall (dates to be determined) and I want to run my first 10K in November.

4. Get my novel ready to submit to agents.
This means finish editing, write a synopsis, put together a list of agents who might be good matches for my story, and probably a thousand other details I'm not thinking of. Lots of coffee and panic attacks will be part of this, I'm sure.

5. Record our lives with more photos the new Project Life: Project 52 digital scrapbooking plan.
I love the Project Life app. I thought I'd given up scrapbooking forever, but this app makes it so easy. Scrapbooking is a part of my life again, in a much more affordable and manageable way. My goal is to do one page per week. At the end of the year, I can order prints and have a record of our entire year. It will also make Christmas gifts easier - I can print pages for a scrapbook for family members. 

6. Create a family cookbook, including photos, using Project Life.
I already have a cookbook that I've created, using our favorite family recipes. When I find something new that we love, I type it up and add it. Becky Higgins (creator of Project Life) shared cookbook pages on Facebook that her sister made. This year, as I cook each favorite dish, I plan to take photos and create a simple recipe page on my PL app. Eventually, I want to print a copy for myself and one for each of my boys.

7. Knit blankets for my boys.
This one's a little iffy, because I haven't been knitting long. I just started in the fall. The boys both want a patchwork-type blanket, with blocks of color. I've seen some pretty basic patterns for these, so I'm hoping my beginner knit-purl skills will enough to carry me through.

8. Read 36 books (at least).
The way I've been reading so far this year, I'll go way past 36 books. But this is my minimum. Last year I read 20 books. I'm tracking my reading on Goodreads. If you'd like to follow along, send me a friend request and let me know you saw my blog post.

What are your plans and goals for the new year?