One of my new years resolutions for this year was to knit a sweater, as well as some other lofty goals that I'll touch on a bit in this post. (I do plan to do a goal review post soon.) This year I managed to cast on and knit a few inches of a crazy cabled sweater. That for me is a bit of a success but I got scared off by the waist shaping.

Being a big chicken, I ran to the Amy Herzog craftsy class. I decided I would watch the videos and then work on the Ginny cardigan. Once I finished an easier sweater I could go finish my cabled one. Good plan, but I only got half way through the videos. Well there's always next year.

Another one of my goals was to do a colourwork piece. My friend, Elly, hat just designed a colourwork sock pattern and has asked me to test knit it for her (it's also in a knit purl version but I thought it was time to face my fears). So here I sit, 5 days until Christmas and 12 days until the new year (my birthday, yay!) and I have a cm of the ribbing done. I will not finish before the year is over but I want to ask you... Does this count? I started them in 2013 but will not finish until 2014. Which year do they count for in your books?




Also, what do you think of the new layout?

Coming January I'm going to get my act together! I have made a tentative schedule based on my tentative class schedule and what I would like my weeks to look like. I don't have Ji's class schedule so that could affect some things like planned dinner and homework times. I also need to figure out if I'll be driving, biking, or bussing so that could mess up a few things as well. And I might change my classes during the first week of classes.

So far it looks like this:















I'm hoping Ji's classes don't run over my scheduled dinner time 5-7 which is time to make, cook and eat dinner as well have a bit of relaxing time. I'm planning to do at least 2 hours of homework every night as well.

This getting up at 7 and going to bed at 10 thing might be the hardest part of my whole plan. I'm a night hawk so getting up early and eating and showering and getting right to work is going to be weird for me. Also making myself to go bed at 10 will be weird since I've been staying up until midnight and occasionally 3am and that isn't going to fly when I have classes to attend.

So what does this crazy busy schedule mean for you? It means that VKN's will chance to every Thursday alternating from 3 and 7 depending on the week. It means that I will record Tuesday mornings and try to get the show up Tuesday evening for you. It also means that I can attempt to have regular updates on Fridays. I will get the listing ready on Thursday and then just update it between classes on Friday. It also means that I will try to blog ever Monday and Thursday. It also means I will have very little time with my husband except for dinner and evenings but that's ok, it's almost like a real job that way but that has nothing to do with you. Oh, and free weekends! Unless I'm behind with schoolwork or dyeing.

The first shop update of the year will be January 10th at 2:00pm CST.

The first Monthly Unclub skein will be available for pre-order January 1- January 7th. The theme for that is The Hobbit with the first week's colourway being Gollum and comes with this cute little fishie from The Cotswold Knitter.





















A sneak peak of the Gollum colours to come, but here's a hint: It's all in the striping pattern.

In non-knitting related news, Ji put my penguin outside for me! I love him so much and am so happy to have him outside finally.
And even better, Google made it snow on him!



















How cool is that?!


Until next time,


P.S. I'll be making a few changes to the layout of the blog and if it's down or a bit wonky for a few days, that's why. Not to worry, it should hopefully be ok before the shownotes need to go up.

Wips:

Despicable Spirals from PenguinSoup
Regia sport
2.5mm 9" over 64 sts

Naughty Socks PPSS
Naughty form PenguinSoup
2.5mm 9" circ

FOs:
Finished all three bunny slippers but not felted
Hopsalots by Stephanie Dosen
Cascade 220

Determination by Elspeth81 on Rav
Cascade 220 heathers
4.0mm

Classic World War II Watch Cap by Helen WaittesCascade 220
4.0mm needles

Mail Call:
Awesome showbox of goodies from Katie.
Washi Tape

Cool Stuff:
Filofax week

Ravelry:
Kal: Not this month
Contests: Winner for the Wool Sundae Contest announced
Elly's Knit (In') Sanity contest announced

Shop:
Update TBA in January!
Buffy club is now available to sign up for. Only 9 spots available and you only have until Dec. 31!

Wips:
Hopsalots by Tiny Owl Knits

HO's: Hopsalots

I've done a lot of thinking (since yesterday) and I think there are a few a lot of changes that need to come into play in the new year.

The first change will be to this blog. I believe a new template is in order (and I think I've found one). The current one is starting to get a bit stale and while all of the picture and slider options are nice, my camera just doesn't cut it. The quality of the photos is bringing the blog down, so that needs to be done away with.

The second change will be in preparation for yet another. After this blog is looking great, I'll go over to wordpress and work on implementing a pretty blog over there and then importing blogger to wordpress. Once this massive undertaking is over, I can then look into upgrading to a premium account and/or getting a server to host my blog and podcast myself. These last changes will most likely happen much later in the year or maybe even the next year.

My ballbands will be redesigned with special club specific ball bands. There will be special holiday balbands to go with holiday themed yarns.

I will be looking into a few more fun details like a personalized stamp, buttons, stitch markers, maybe new stickers. Pretty much a packaging facelift as well.

Lots of new plans in motion, I just have to find the time to get to them!

The Christmas season is upon us and I haven't listed any of my Christmas colourways in the shop. I'm really very late with that. I'm also late with listing the Hunger Games colourways and with advertising for the Quarterly Club sign up that's coming up soon.

I also promised to start blogging regularly starting in September, then October and then as soon as I was settled. Well, apparently, I never really got settled. Ever since school started and the house hunt started everything else has been put on hold. My shop updates stopped, my VKN's stopped, I became really distant and formal on Ravelry and my blogging never picked up again.

I will no apologize (again) because you don't need to hear it, and well, I'm not super sorry. I am sorry that I misled you and myself into believing that things would get better or things would become easy. Well, being a full time student, running a home business, and trying to podcast and keep up a relationship with your husband is really a lot of work. I had no idea how much work it was really.

These past few months have been me just trying to keep afloat. I had planned to hand in assignments a week early, blog, podcast, vkn, and do updates weekly as well. That's a laugh! When I started getting overwhelmed, I just stopped. I cutout everything (including school for a bit) and just tried to regain myself. When that happened, I added in school again. It is getting easier now.

I have big plans for the new year. I will start Quarterly Clubs and Monthly Un-clubs. I will also plan podcasts and blogs and schedule vkns. I know this sounds like a whole lot, but if I start treating my job as an actual job, then things should change.

My plan is to schedule my time much better than I was before. PenguinSoup is my job and I need to treat is as thus.

Heres hoping to a more organized new year and thanks for sticking with me,

Sorry, no show notes this week. Feel free to PM me on Ravelry if you have any questions about anything I talked about.

Episode 28: A little to the left from PenguinSoup on Vimeo.

FOs:
Despicable Spirals by PenguinSoup
in Despicable on Tuxedo Glits base from PenguinSoup
2.25mm 9" circs

Boo! Socks. PPSS
Boo! on Shiny Falkland from PenguinSoup

WIPs:
Hitchhiker by Martina Behm
Fruity Oaty Bars from Mad Color
2.5mm 9" circs

So Square Socks for Ji

What's next?
Scarf for Gord
And now my watch begins from PenguinSoup

Spinning:
Finished 1/2 of Wedding Orchids on 100$ SW BFL from Unwind Fiber Company

Review Something!
Ply Issue #2

KAL:
Rainbow KAL
Can be started before November, but must be finished by November 30.

Mail call:
Rak from C.C
Rak from Shannon
A5 Dividers
hole punch

Contest:
Winner for the October kal announced

Shop:
Quarterly themes up for vote
Monthly themes starting again in January
Girl on Fire available. Only 4 and made to order.

• I made a new friend!
• Miles ate my backpack. Bought a new one, bad quality. I need to hunt down someone to replace the zipper.
• Ate my Gorjuss pencil case and JessaLu bag
• Dyeing again and love it! Updates soon, VKNS changed!
• 1st and 2nd week of the month
• 3rd and 4th week of the month

• Working my way back to doing updates. Hopefully soon, being sometime in November.
• I’m still taking custom orders so feel free to message me.
• Sale!!!! 20% off until the end of October. Off everything except the club of the month items. Use code: Nightmare20
• Christmas Colours update soon. Trying for the end of October, early November.

Wips:
PPSS in Boo! on Falkland
9" chiaogoo

Mail Call:
Mad Color

Wool Sundae

Filofax

KAL:
Contest will be anounced next week for the KAL.
Meanwhile, the October Halloween KAL is underw

Shop Updates:
Game of Thrones will be available for preorder Monday, October 7th. Lasts until Sunday then the next one is available.

I'm moving on Saturday, and while I'm not nearly finished packing, and my homework assignments aren't done haven't been started, I'm not in a panic. Well, I was yesterday, but that's was yesterday and today is today.

I have finally gotten my personal filofax and I have utilized the space and immediately came up with a system that works for me. I have used it to plot out homework assignments, birthdays, podcasts, blogs, vkns, shop udates, and most recently, my room packing schedule. I've been waiting for this for well over a month now and I can already see immediate improvement.

I'm sorry I was so unorganized before, with random vkns, shop uptdates, podcasts, and blogs. I was trying to find a system that worked for me while trying to manage about a billion things with a new business and going back to school and work. I've finally found something that works, and I can't wait to have a routine schedule.

I wanted to say thank you to those of you who sent me messages of encouragement. Those who were ok to wait a little longer for their order, or those who were fine waiting a few extra days, or a week, to post another podcast. A big thank you to those of you who told me not to worry about anything and to focus on school and the move, and those of you who told me it was ok, and I should relax. I'm finally taking your advice and trying not to stress out. This, along with finally being organized, has brought me a sense of peace. (Although, I'm sure I'll be panicking Friday and Saturday) But I now know that I'll make it through. It will probably be unorganized and a huge mess, but it will still happen and everything will be ok.




Thank you,

Wips:
Cheated and started Halloween Socks.

FOs:
None! Just packed boxes

Spinning:
Peggy is in the new house and she broke! The leather connecting the treadle to the shaft came undone. I can get some new leather, but I have no idea how to tie it. Help please!


Review Something:
Product Review!                              
Knit Picks Swift:

• Noisy
• Peg looses wood and no longer holds swift up
• Constantly drops it's load
• Not a "Quality Swift" and not worth the money. Spend a bit more to get better swift

Mail Call:
Pocket Domino Filofax!
DYI Fish inserts




Cool Stuff:
Regularly scheduled VKN's! Mondays at 6:30 CDT. (Starting Monday, October 7th)
I'll try to have two afternoon ones a month for the UK viewers.



Shop:
I will stop shipping orders Friday 27th. You can still order, but all orders will be processed the weekend of Saturday 5th and shipped Monday 7th.

Updates are postponed until I can get unpacked and have a schedule set up again. (Probably around the 14th of October

Club sign ups will close Monday, Sept. 30th at 10pm CDT.

First Game of Thrones Club of the Month club will be available Monday, October 7th. 10am

Wips:
PPSS
Beachcomber from KW Yarns

Monkeys
Black ice from KW Yarns

FOs:


Review Something:


Mail Call:
Mad Color Shipment

Cool Stuff:

• Regularly scheduled VKN's can happen now!!
  Poll in the Ravelry gorup
  Monday or Wednesday and around what time
• Cool Print Out meal planner

• Cute Dividers for filofax
• Moving

Contest:
Winner is Diane

Shop:
Doctor Who Club
Full: $110.00
Monthly: $40.00
Mini Skein: $50.00
Available around 8am CDT

Theme of the Month Club
Game of Thrones Coming October 1st

Mini Update Monday at 7pm CDT

Wip:
PPSS
Kirbywirby Beachcomber

FO:
PPSS Watermelon
Hiwassee creek BFL Twister

Spinning:
5 min!

Review Something:
Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf

Cool Stuff:
Ordered a Filofax! And pens, washi tape, dividers and a few other things to go with it.

Mail Call:
Washi Tape and Pens and Fixed yarn.

KAL:
Joint September Kal with The Cotswold Knitter Podcast! Knit a Cookie A. pattern
1. Must be a member of the group
2. Must be a Cookie A. pattern
3. Must not have started before September 1st
4. To gain an extra entry use PenguinSoup yarn. There is a discount code for each group. Only one per transaction and it lasts until September 30 at 11:59am CDT.

Contests:
Semi contest. Donate to the run and win a skein of your choice.

Shop:
Clubs! Doctor who full and mini skein club!
Monthly theme yarns!