I never make New Year’s resolutions because I think if there’s something you should change, you should change it on August 7th when you realize it and not some arbitrary day in the middle of Winter. This is also why I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day (I mostly celebrate the day thereafter, which I like to call 50%-off Chocolate Day).

This year, however, is an odd one. It’s one day longer than usual, so I figure I can take the time to write up a little blog post for myself about Resolutions because I have an extra day to play with.

So, what is my Leap Year’s Resolution? Why, it is to lose weight. But, fair reader, not the weight that you would expect. It is the weight of STUFF.

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What do you guys think of this giant sweater? According to The Sartorialist it’s high fashion, but I think it looks a bit big. Sort of Violet-Beauregarde-as-a-blueberry-ish. Are these layers too much?

Arne & Carlos has some nice sweaters for 2008, with yarn from Rauma.

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I found this place on etsy a little while ago and I thought I’d revisit it now on the blog. I read someone blogging about it a few days ago but I can’t remember whom! UNIFORM Studio clothes aren’t available right now, but hopefully soon there will be more available.

This is a guest post by my IRL friend Liz who is fabulously creative and just got a new camera (of which I am envious). Liz, you are welcome to guest blog any time you like!

Back in December, there was some talk of buttons over here that really caught my eye. Buttons are beautiful, varied in colour and design, and occasionally functional – what’s not to love?

The only problem I have with buttons is getting my hands on some. There’s usually a rack at the local fabric or yarn store with some practical button options but nothing particularly imaginative, and certainly nothing affordable in bulk for crafting.

Beyond crafting, the acquisition of buttons has been a nagging concern of mine ever since I started a cardigan out of thrifted yarn over the summer. I’m piecing together two (formerly) very ugly sweaters into what will be a simple, modern cardigan. Cardigans need buttons eventually, but I figured I’d cross that bridge once I’d actually finished a sleeve or two.

The search is over.

On Rue St. Denis in Montreal, there is the most amazing store. You walk in to see a giant bin of buttons, to be purchased by the bag full. All the walls are lined with either tubes of buttons (sorted by colour and shape) or spools of ribbon. Just walking inside is inspiring. I started thinking about the things these notions could decorate, and of course, my cardigan. It only has one sleeve so far, and that sleeve is too narrow. I’m going to have to rip it back, but it will be ok. I’ve got buttons to work for.

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(The button store is just south-east of St. Joseph, on the west side of the street, for anyone in the neighbourhood)

It’s my first finished big-girl sweater!

Touch of Grey Sweater, started August 2nd, 2007, finished February 1st, 2008
Pattern: From Phildar 443, the nautical-style boat-neck sweater
Yarn: 2-ply alpaca ripped from two different $7 sweaters
Needles: Size 4 KnitPicks Options

Modifications: A few, but nothing too major. I resized the sweater for gauge and changed the colour pattern. Adjusted the length and shaping. I didn’t want to make too many changes because it was my first attempt at a sweater, but I made a few adaptations so it would fit better. Oh yeah, and I accidentally knit the front half too narrow so I had to knit the back to be much wider, doing some increases/decreases (depending on which half) at the edges to equalize the widths at the beginning of the arm holes. Hehe, oops.

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Greenzo (otherwise known as Orangina) is pictured here as an unfinished item, but soon after I took these photos (the 15th), I went to a hockey game (last game of the Kingston Frontenacs at the Memorial Centre!) and finished it up. It’s now sitting around waiting to be blocked so I can seam up the sides and take saucy pictures of myself wearing it. Stay tuned.

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Want to see how this…

…turned into this?

The pattern is here, and the final product is here. I need to get cross-stitching again; this is great stuff!

Quick blog because I’m mega busy. Enjoy the patterns, and sorry for being a day late!

If you are knitting or have already knit a pattern that I’m talking about, leave me a comment and I’ll update my post with a link to your version. If you’ve written up a pattern and you want me to link to it, send me an email or leave me a comment and I’ll post it! It makes the list longer and my job easier.

• Three patterns from knit on the net: The Little Black Dress, Giles Bag and Sherbet Smock Top
• All Things Anne
• Sweaterbabe has a nice Basic Tank.
• Here’s an Asymmetrical Cardigan.
• Go Gryffindor! I’m more of a Ravenclaw myself, but if you’re brave you can knit yourself these excellent socks.
• Munchkin Slippers
• Aili’s Mittens. Example here.
• A Felted Squid! Lovecraft would be proud.

Here’s a beautiful post from Knit Buddies on square shawl construction. It looks like it will be the first post of many on the subject, and they’ll be a doozy if this post and similar posts are any indication. I’d like to link to it, as well as giving my thoughts on the introduction to the post:

“An industrious knitter could just about finish a man’s stocking in a 15-kilometer stretch of even, easy walking. So said an 80-year old woman from Leksand in the 1890’s.” — Brigitta Dandanell-Ulla Danielsson, 1984. Twined Knitting.

I keep thinking about what that 80-year-old woman in Leksand said. I couldn’t even walk 9.3 miles and certainly not while knitting. On the other hand it really also made me think about all the skills and techniques that have been lost or almost lost through the ages.

Here was the comment I left at her site:

A quick opinion on what you were saying at the beginning about how skills have been lost; I disagree. Yes, most of us can’t knit for 15 miles but that’s because we’ve spent our lives learning all sorts of other things, like blogging and doing math and reading and all sorts of other things. If we spent our entire lives learning to knit, we could certainly knit and walk at the same time, just as I’m sure most of us can read and walk at the same time after years spent in grade school reading and reading and reading. The difference between now and then is that we’ve specialized on different things, and I’m sure you’ll agree (no matter how much we love knitting) that being able to do the odd calculation or paint or recall a poem makes all our lives a bit richer

What do you guys think? How have you specialized? How has your specialization helped your knitting?