Seems like Tim has represented our idea well. I've had fleeting thoughts in the past about knitting my way through Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac in one year but I've never fell in love with all the projects enough to actually knit all of them. Also, I've knit some of the patterns already and don't feel like knitting them again. There are exceptions, of course. The Open Collar Pullover in October has always inspired me. I do love me some top-down raglans and it looks like not nearly enough folks have posted their versions on Ravelry.
Anyway, so Tim and I have been mulling over this project for the last couple of weeks. We actually have planned out the first six months (as he posted earlier) and have some vague ideas as to what we will do for the last six months. We debated for a while as to whether we would actually knit the same project every month but decided it was probably best if we only knit the same pattern if it were something we truly wanted to make. I've learned (and not the easy way) that unless I really love a pattern, I will probably lose interest, set it aside, cast on something new and then eventually rip out the unloved project a year or two (or five!) later.
I haven't done well with challenges that I've set for myself in the past. But I know that partnering with Tim on this will mean that I have someone to whom I am accountable. I know he wants to challenge himself and step out of his sock box. My reasons for jumping into this is to actually finish each of the items that I set out to knit. Seems simple, but I have had a lot of distractions lately and while I am nearly constantly knitting...I have little to show for it. Of the eight-ish projects that I bothered to record in Ravelry for 2010, only two of my finished items were actually for me.
But for those who know me...also know that I never do anything the easy way. I've got to put a challenge on top of a challenge. Are you ready? Here comes the bat shit crazy part...at least one of my items will be knit from my handspun. Oh, not crazy enough for you? Well, how about if I add in a Tour de Fleece challenge to the mix? Wacky, I tell ya!
For those of you that don't know, the Tour de Fleece is a spinning challenge that runs at the same time as the Tour de France bike race. (Think Knitting Olympics for spinning.) Still not insane enough? The challenge is from Saturday July 2nd through Sunday July 24 which means I'll be attempting to spin a project's worth of yarn during the same month that we are kicking off our DIY Almanac. Bat shit crazy is just how I roll, baby.
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