Fluff Day

I have a bunch of filler fluff I've been saving up. I think the backlog is now big enough that I can do a fluff post.

1. I recently sat down and tried to figure out what I'm going to knit in 2006. I came up with a pretty specific list, which I think I was only able to do because so much of the first part of the year (probably close to half) is for projects I already know for sure I'm doing, and for which I (almost) have the yarn. I'll inevitably stray, but it was a good exercise in trying to figure out what, of my wish list, I'd realistically be able to knit in a year, and how much money that would cost. My list:

• Ingeborg
• Striped Pullover (SFC Knitalong)
• sockapalooza 3 socks (I have something special planned, if the person I get matched with sounds like they may want them. And of course assuming I get my name in in time to participate.)
• St. Brigid or The gorgeous cardigan being knit in the Crossed In Translation Knitalong.
• Song of Hiawatha lace stole
• Komi mittens for me, Komi mittens for A., and those gorgeous Komi socks
• Autumn Color Cardigan (also from Sweaters From Camp)

It's going to be a great knitting year, even if I stray from that list. And of course, there will always be "simple" side projects (mostly socks), for when my brain can't take all that colorwork, cables, and lace. There are a ton of things I hoped to knit this year, but just won't get to. Maybe some of them will be subbed for things on this list, but this list is currently what I consider the cream of the crop of my wishlist.

2. I have a bunch of things I've had set to "keep new" in my Bloglines list for a little while.

• Black Olive is knitting Elizabeth I! I've only seen a couple of others out there online, so I think this is very exciting. I love the color she chose. It's really bright, but I think it works.
• Nanette just finished some gorgeous colorwork mittens, which she is giving away to charity. Go her! And they're knit with Naturespun, which of course makes them all the better. (Check out the rest of the blog. It's always full of colorwork goodness. One of the first I click on in Bloglines.)
• Kniting Iris' ski stockings. Click and see, please!
• Not something pretty to look at, but some good advice. The Feral Knitter shares how to calculate how much yarn you'll need when casting on for sweaters with jumper weight yarn. I find that I tend to overcalculate by an embarrassing amount when casting on a large number of stitches in such thin yarn, so I'll definitely use her heuristic the next time I need to do it.

That's the fluff. See you tomorrow, most likely with the big knitalong post.