• Off the Needles
• On the Needles
• From the Armchair
• In my Travels
• KAL News
• Life in Focus
• On a Happy Note
• Quote of the Week

Off the Needles

• Pattern: KitKat Hat by AndreSue Knits
• Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) and US 7 (4.5 mm)
• Tosh DK in Pop Rocks Colorway
• Tink Yarn
• Vanna’s Choice
• Cascade 220 Superwash
• Neighborhood Fiber Company

On the Needles 

• Pattern: Anna (Frozen) Inspired Softie by Kristen’s Kords (kit)
• Hook:
• Yarn:
• Bought kit at Stitches West 2016 with Jasmin, who purchased the Elsa kit. I use Genius Scan Appon my phone (to save file for personal use anyways) download to iPad into GoodReader App.
• I favorited another Ravelry pattern that I may use as inspiration to jazz up the skirt.

• Pattern: Gradient Angles by Janice Hamby
• Yarn: Infinite Twist Helix: Colors= Spooky Purple, African Violet, Mona Lisa, Tickled, Sakura, Anthurium
• Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm)

• Yarn: Bergere de France Goomy 50- Imprim Ciel Colorway
• US 1 (2.0mm) needles
• Pattern: OMG Heel

• Pattern: Sunwalker by Melanie Berg
• Yarn: Sun Valley Fibers MCS (Merino Cashmere Silk) Fingering in Kensington Colorway
• Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm) 

• Pattern: Instructions from this tutorial
• Yarn: leftover sock yarn
• Hook: D 3.25 mm

• Pattern: Heart Garland by Sarah Anderson
• Yarn: Pussyhat leftover yarn- Tink Yarn, Cascade 220, other stash scraps
• Hook: H (5.0 mm)
• Idea from Andie of AndreSue Knits Video Podcast
• Works for Marce of Brown Berry Chronicles Video Podcast KAL  #MakeWIPsNotWaste

 

From the Armchair

• The Other F Word podcast: conversations about failure
• Minimalism; A Documentary About the Important Things  available on Netflix in the US.
  • Check out this review from Life Edited to learn more.
  • I’ve also been listening to the Minimalists Podcast
• The Bletchley Circle on Netflix
• What I Know For Sure: (audio book of short stories/essays written and ready by Oprah Winfrey
  • A favorite quote from the book”…when people say they’re looking for happiness I ask ‘what are you giving to the world?’ It’s like the wife who once appeared on my show wondering why her relationship with her husband had broken down. She kept saying “he used to make me so happy. He doesn’t make me happy anymore’ what she couldn’t see was that she was the cause of her own effect. Happiness is never something you get from other people. The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love or happiness you’re able to give. If you think something is missing in your life or you’re not getting what you deserve- remember there is no yellow brick road. You lead life. It doesn’t lead you.” Oprah

 In My Travels

Vogue Knitting Live NYC

• Class with Bristol Ivy (highly recommend)
• Visiting with friends!

• Declare a WIP from 2016 or earlier within the first 5 days of the month, posting a photo of it in the thread. Finish the project by the end of the month, update your post with your FO photo and you’ll be eligible to win a Ravelry downloadable pattern of your choosing up to $8.
• Start planning your February project. Must post in thread by February 5

• Mini Skein Interception- sponsored by Fibernymph Dye Works- ended January 15th. Prizes Announced!
• Small & Self Indulgent Interception– Sponsored by Knit Knight Designs
  • Cast-on on/after January 1. Finish by January 31.
  • Create project 300 yards to less- that you plan to keep for yourself. Could be something to wear or something for your home. Anything that will be a bright spot in your life. Just tell us why it brings you joy to make/have etc.

Life in Focus

•  January Happiness Project Update (in progress): Minimalism
• Interesting Things to Read:
  • Things I don’t need
  • Join the Clutter Free Revolution
    • “I think a handful of brilliant and recklessly deceitful entrepreneurs have convinced us that our individual value as human beings is more closely tied to the things we own. Here’s the really weird bit: We know. But we pretend that’s not what’s going on. Instead, we proudly show off our new stuff, and say things like, “You’ve got to get one of these!” Sure, it’s fun and that excitement is real. But in most cases, we haven’t really done our homework. We skip that step and go straight to believing if something’s for sale, it must be good. We’ve not learned about where our stuff comes from, what kind of harmful materials went into making those things, whether or not the people who made that stuff were treated fairly, and if there’s an environmentally responsible way to safely dispose of all that stuff when we’re done with it.  So, here we are; this peculiar species, frantically racing about – consumed with doing anything we can to make enough money to buy these curious things we’re convinced will make us happy. The truly astonishing thing is how fleeting our happiness has become. It’s almost like finding the thing has become the source of our joy – even more so than the thing itself. Before we know it, we’ve become preoccupied with finding the next thing, and the next thing.”   Evan Zislis

“Failure is so important. We speak about success all the time. It is the ability to resist failure or use failure that often leads to greater success. I’ve met people who don’t want to try for fear of failing…It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case you fail by default.”   ~ J. K. Rowling