The monthly goals
It's really nice to see some of you also adopt monthly goals as well. It's a great way to focus energy and force oneself to get things finished. The idea was Dawn's. I've always admired her progress and she doesn't take the easy options as I often do. Dawn's mentioned that the key word in the goals is 'finish'. It's easy to make progress but once you throw in the word 'finish', you've just cranked everything up a notch or 2.
Goals should be aspirational. If you always end up achieving them, you need to either set harder goals or ...how do I put this nicely... get a life (and not be so competitive). If you don't achieve them, there is no reason to be down in the dumps, afterall, it's only knitting.
Arctic Diamond Stole
I've made some progress on the arctic diamond stole. One ball of the malabrigo lace is finished and I've managed to eke out just under 3.5 repeats of the diamond pattern. I think that I'm going to have to give it a really hard block for the lace to come alive.
The original pattern instructed you to use Louet Gem and 3.25mm needles. I used 3.25 needles and Malabrigo Lace and thought that it would be ok. Within 1 repeat, I started regreting not using 3.5mm or 4.0mm needles. So lesson to you, use bigger needles.
The pattern calls for 5 repeats, so if I had used bigger needles, I might had gotten away with less knitting... but that's ok, I don't mind a slightly denser stole.
I've stretched out the diamonds here so that you can see them better. The yarn is devilishly difficult to photograph. It's a rusty red, like sealing wax.. very rich shade. I usually avoid orange toned reds but this one is fantastically inviting.
You've inspired me... again.
I now crave that red. I also want to knit that very stole.
However, you've also inspired me to set monthly goals for myself. I've been working on Mission Possible 2008, through which I set goals for the year, but now I'm adding Monthly goals at the end. I'm hoping to get my gumption up to be clearer about them, but there are the starts up in my blog this week.
Thanks for being inspiring... again.
I think the stole is looking gorgeous...very pretty in that red yarn.
Ang
Posted by: angelarae at March 7, 2008 02:09 AMThe stole is beautiful!
If I say "Joan Baez or Judas Priest", will you get what I'm talking about?
Posted by: Mandella at March 6, 2008 06:26 PMThat pattern looks gorgeous, especially in that yarn. The slight variagations really set the pattern off. I've just cast on a shawl and it is surprisingly easy, not sure if its because I'm using all the lessons I learnt from Birch or just that Birch was a lion in sheeps clothing!
Posted by: Sarah at March 6, 2008 01:41 PMThat's another pattern I've been meaning to get around to knitting... It's getting to the point where my list may be too long to ever finish in this lifetime! *laughs*
I tried doing monthly goals last year, but it fell apart quickly. I get discouraged easily, I've found, and when things got in the way of my knitting and I didn't meet my goals, I got very disappointed in myself. In the end I just figured it was best to let the knitting come as it wanted to.
Posted by: Ria at March 5, 2008 08:58 PMLovely stole. I may well put that on my to do list...
Posted by: mrspao at March 5, 2008 07:52 AMThe stole is lovely & the color too. I just received my Malabrigo lace & the colors are gorgeous. You have given me the inspiration. Thanks.
Posted by: Ann at March 5, 2008 04:22 AMSo pretty. I love semi-solid colours to bring things alive, yet not disturb the pattern. I hope you achieve your goals for this one so we can see it finished!
Posted by: Rippedoffknitter at March 4, 2008 09:48 PMAw, the orange-toned reds are my favorite! :-) Horses for courses, I guess...
Come to think of it, I may have a skein of this very stuff in the stash. It's a truly heavenly shade.
Posted by: Beth S. at March 4, 2008 07:20 PMThe stole is coming along nicely. I have been eyeballing that one as well so thanks for the tip about the needle size.
Red is such a hard color because every monitor displays it differently, on my monitor it looks more pinky red than orangy red.
*chuckles* "get a life (and not be so competitive)"
Posted by: Tracey at March 4, 2008 01:10 PMThe stole looks lovely. I like what you have written about the knitting goals. I may try some knitting goals one day when the time is right for me.
Posted by: Sarah at March 4, 2008 06:06 AMI'm so tempted to try some Malabrigo Laceweight, it looks gorgeous. The stole's really coming on. It must be a relief to be working with lighter coloured yarn!
Posted by: dawn at March 4, 2008 12:11 AM"Goals should be aspirational."
I really like this way of looking at it. Hadn't thought of that before, because for me not reaching my goals always used to mean I had been lazy (but then they were studying goals, not nearly as captivating as knitting :D)
And I can't believe that's on orangey red. It looks so pink! And gorgeous! Can't forget that. ;)
Posted by: Sabrina at March 3, 2008 11:18 PMThe stole is so lovely! Thank you for reminding me of it. I've been looking for a lace project, and happen to have three skeins of lavender Malabrigo in the stash...
Posted by: abby at March 3, 2008 08:15 PM