2012 Challenges

I haven't been doing much knitting or crocheting over the last few days as I've got the spinning bug (more about that once I've got something to show that isn't just a pile of fluff), so I thought I'd do an update on my 2012 'challenges' that I think I mentioned earlier in the year.

Book Challenge: I set my reading goal at 20 books in 2012.  I'm quite chuffed to report that as of a couple of days ago, my total number of books read so far this year is 14.  Of those 14, 12 are 'proper' books, with a decent number of pages.  The other two are "It Itches" by Franklin Habit, which is knitting-related cartoons and essays (well worth a read if you need cheering up) and a Mills & Boon novel.  Let me tell you how the M&B-reading came about.  On the web-forum where the book challenge originates (Neighbours Fans - not that I've watched Neighbours for several years, but it's a very friendly community over there), we decided to have a mini-challenge within the main challenge and for reasons I can't now remember, we decided that we should each read a Mills & Boon novel (it was optional), which turned out to be good fun, especially when one of our male members recounted his surreptitious borrowing of a M&B novel from his local library.  I've currently got two books on the go - "All Wound Up" by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and "RSVP" by Helen Warner. 

Yarn Bought vs Yarn Used: This challenge is from the Phoenix Knitting Forum.  According to the spreadsheet I've been keeping, I've bought 6766 metres of yarn and used 6355 metres, which means I'm -411 metres.  Whoops!  I should be back in credit before too long though as I've got a pair of socks OTN and DD1's stripey blanket will use up a fair amount of yarn.  I've decided to not count handspun yarn except when I've knitted it as it probably still takes me longer to spin the yarn than to knit it!

FO a month: Also Phoenix.  The idea is to finish at least one item each month of the year and so far I've managed this without having to resort to whipping up a dishcloth on the last day of the month!

Photograph challenge:  Another Neighbours Fans one.  Not going so well, it has to be said.  I keep forgetting to take my camera out with me, or forget to charge the battery.  I've got some photos taken, but need to get around to uploading them to a Flickr set and organising them in word order (the challenge consists of a list of 50 words and the aim is to take a photo to represent each word and some of them are going to be quite tricky). 

So, that's where I am challenge-wise.  I'll be back soon with some yarny photos and maybe even a sock FO (toe and a few rounds of the foot on sock #2 were done earlier today between spinning sessions).  Tomorrow, I must push the Dyson around the lounge - DD1 was complaining when she got home from school this afternoon that she keeps getting spinning 'fluff' on her when she sits down.

And just in case you're thinking "what a lazy moo", both children have been fed, the dog's been out on two walks and I've done all the ironing except the load that's currently in the tumble dryer.